#k today I have made the official cast

[51faces]

Inner Beauty

Dreamcatcher x 8th member

The sun cast a warm glow over Seoul as Y/N stood outside the towering entertainment agency building. Clutching her acceptance letter tightly, she took a deep breath. Today marked the beginning of her journey as the newest member of Dreamcatcher—a renowned K-pop group known for their unique sound and powerful performances.

As she stepped inside, the cool air of the lobby greeted her. Navigating through bustling staff members and trainees, she finally reached the practice room. Her heart pounded as she pushed open the door.

Seven pairs of eyes turned toward her.

"Ah, you must be Y/N!" Jiu, the leader, exclaimed with a radiant smile. "We've been waiting for you."

Y/N bowed deeply. "Hello, I'm Y/N. It's an honor to meet you all."

Sua bounced over, her energy infectious. "No need to be so formal! We're going to be sisters from now on."

Siyeon grinned. "Welcome to the family. Don't mind Sua; she's always this excited."

Handong approached with a gentle expression. "If you need help with anything, just let us know."

Yoohyeon winked playfully. "Especially if it's about avoiding extra practice."

Dami chuckled softly. "Don't listen to her. Hard work is key."

Gahyun smiled brightly. "Come on, we'll show you around!"

As they led her through the building, pointing out various studios and rooms, Y/N felt a mix of nerves and excitement. The members' warmth eased her anxiety, and she began to believe she might truly belong here.

Weeks flew by as Y/N immersed herself in intense training. Early mornings blended into late nights filled with dance rehearsals and vocal lessons. The other members were supportive, often staying behind to help her perfect challenging routines.

One evening, after a grueling practice, Y/N collapsed onto the dorm's living room couch. Curiosity nudged her to check the group's official social media. Her debut had been announced that day, and she eagerly read through the comments.

At first, the messages were encouraging:

"Can't wait to see what Y/N brings to Dreamcatcher!"

"Welcome to the family!"

But soon, the tone shifted:

"She doesn't fit their image."

"Why add someone who isn't as pretty as the rest?"

"Dreamcatcher was perfect without her."

Her chest tightened. The words blurred as tears welled up in her eyes. She quickly locked her phone and stared blankly ahead.

Jiu entered the room, noticing her distress. "Hey, Y/N, everything okay?"

Y/N forced a smile. "Yeah, just a bit tired."

Jiu sat beside her, concern evident. "You sure? You seem upset."

After a moment's hesitation, Y/N sighed. "I was reading some comments online. Some people think I don't belong."

Jiu gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't pay attention to them. People are often harsh behind screens. What matters is that you're here because of your talent and hard work."

"I know, but it's hard not to let it get to me."

Jiu nodded understandingly. "I've been there. But remember, we're a team. Lean on us when you need to."

Despite her efforts to ignore the negativity, the hurtful comments became a constant shadow. During interviews, she could feel the unspoken questions. At fan events, she noticed subtle glances.

One afternoon, the group gathered for a photoshoot. As the photographer adjusted his lens, he murmured, "Y/N, tilt your head slightly to the left."

She complied, but he frowned. "Hmm, let's try a different angle."

Heat rushed to her cheeks as insecurity gnawed at her. Were the others noticing? Did they think she was ruining the shoot?

Afterward, in the dressing room, Sua noticed her silence. "You were great today!"

Y/N mustered a small smile. "Thanks."

Siyeon exchanged a glance with Handong. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," Y/N insisted, quickly gathering her things.

As she exited, she overheard staff members whispering:

"She doesn't have the typical look."

"Maybe the company made a mistake."

Her steps quickened, the words echoing in her mind.

Back at the dorm, Y/N secluded herself in her room. The walls felt like they were closing in. She opened her laptop, hesitating before diving into online forums.

Threads upon threads criticized her:

"She's dragging the group's visuals down."

"Her talent doesn't make up for her looks."

"Why did they even pick her?"

A tear slipped down her cheek. The weight was becoming unbearable.

A soft knock interrupted her spiral. "Y/N? It's Yoohyeon. Can I come in?"

She hastily wiped her face. "Sure."

Yoohyeon entered, holding two mugs of hot chocolate. "Thought you might like some."

"Thanks."

They sat in silence for a moment before Yoohyeon spoke. "You know, when I first joined, I felt out of place too."

Y/N looked up. "You did?"

"Absolutely. I was convinced I wasn't good enough. But the others helped me see my worth. Let us do the same for you."

Y/N's gaze dropped to her mug. "It's just... hard to ignore what people say."

"I get it. But remember, those people don't know the real you. We do. And we think you're amazing."

A faint smile tugged at Y/N's lips. "Thank you, Yoohyeon."

"Anytime. And if you ever need to talk, I'm here."

Despite her bandmates' support, the negativity continued to consume Y/N. During rehearsals, she became increasingly withdrawn.

"Let's take it from the top," Dami suggested after Y/N missed a step.

Y/N nodded absently, her mind elsewhere.

As the music played, she stumbled again.

Gahyun paused the track. "Maybe we should take a short break."

"I'm fine," Y/N snapped, surprising everyone.

Sua approached cautiously. "We're just worried about you."

"Well, you don't need to be," Y/N retorted before storming out.

She wandered the city streets, the bright lights contrasting with the darkness she felt inside. Her phone buzzed with messages from the members, but she ignored them.

Finding herself at a quiet park, she sat on a bench, pulling her knees to her chest. Doubt and despair swirled within her.

"Maybe they'd be better off without me," she whispered.

Returning to the dorm late at night, Y/N found the lights off. Relieved, she headed to her room but paused when she heard hushed voices from the living room.

"She's not herself," Siyeon said softly.

"I wish she'd open up," Handong added.

"We need to find a way to help her," Jiu concluded.

Feeling a mix of guilt and isolation, Y/N retreated. Sleep evaded her as she tossed and turned, the voices in her head growing louder.

Unable to bear it, she grabbed her car keys and slipped out. The cool night air greeted her as she got into her car and started driving aimlessly.

Rain began to patter against the windshield. The city's neon signs blurred past as tears clouded her vision.

"Why am I not enough?" she cried, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

A sudden honk jolted her. Headlights blinded her as a truck veered into her lane. She swerved, but the wet roads betrayed her. The car skidded violently, crashing into a barrier.

The world went silent as darkness enveloped her.

Birds chirped outside the window as sunlight warmed Y/N's face. Her eyes fluttered open. Disoriented, she sat up, realizing she was in her room.

"But how?" she murmured. "Was it all a nightmare?"

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Stunned, she approached slowly.

Her reflection was different. Her features were refined, embodying every aspect of the societal beauty standards she'd been told she lacked.

"What... happened to me?"

Her phone buzzed with a message from Gahyun:

"Excited to meet you today! Welcome to Dreamcatcher!"

Confusion washed over her. Checking the date, she realized it was the day she was first introduced to the group.

"This can't be real."

Arriving at the company building, everything felt both familiar and new. The members greeted her with enthusiasm.

"Welcome, Y/N!" Sua cheered.

"Ready to embark on this journey together?" Dami asked.

Throughout the day, Y/N noticed subtle differences. Staff members were more attentive, fellow trainees offered compliments, and the photoshoot went seamlessly.

"You're a natural," the photographer praised.

During breaks, fans outside the building waved banners with her name. "We love you, Y/N!"

Her heart swelled. The acceptance she'd longed for was finally hers.

Weeks turned into months as Y/N embraced her new reality. Performances were met with overwhelming praise, endorsements flooded in, and her social media following skyrocketed.

"You're the talk of the town," Siyeon remarked during a rehearsal break.

Y/N laughed lightly. "It's all thanks to you guys."

Handong shook her head. "Don't be modest. You've worked hard."

Yet, amidst the success, a lingering unease settled in her chest. Memories of the crash and the pain she once felt began to surface.

One evening, she confided in Jiu while overlooking the city from the rooftop.

"Have you ever felt like something's not quite right, even when everything seems perfect?" Y/N asked.

Jiu pondered. "Sometimes, we chase after what we think we want, only to realize it's not what we needed."

Y/N sighed. "I thought that changing... everything... would make me happy. But I still feel empty."

"Maybe happiness comes from within, not from how others perceive us."

Y/N nodded slowly, her thoughts clouded with uncertainty.

As the date of her previous accident approached, Y/N's anxiety grew. She began experiencing vivid nightmares and moments of dizziness.

During a dance practice, she suddenly felt faint.

"Are you okay?" Yoohyeon asked, rushing to her side.

"Just a bit lightheaded," Y/N murmured.

"Maybe you should rest," Dami suggested.

"I'm fine," she insisted, pushing through.

But her condition worsened. Back at the dorm, she secluded herself, staring at her unfamiliar reflection.

"Who am I?" she whispered.

A knock on her door startled her. "Y/N, it's Gahyun. We haven't seen you all evening."

"Just need some time alone," she replied.

"Alright, but we're here if you need us."

Hours passed as she grappled with her thoughts. Overwhelmed, she decided to step outside for fresh air.

As she walked along a quiet street, the world around her began to blur. The dizziness intensified, and her heartbeat thundered in her ears.

The last thing she saw was the night sky spinning above her before everything went black.

The darkness was cold, heavy, and suffocating. Y/N felt herself floating, weightless and disconnected from reality. Faint whispers echoed around her, but she couldn't make out any words.

Suddenly, a light pierced through the void, and she found herself standing in an empty, endless white space. It felt dreamlike, yet unnervingly real.

"You’ve arrived," a voice spoke.

Y/N turned, her heart skipping a beat. A figure stood before her, shrouded in mist. Their form wasn’t human—an otherworldly presence emanated from them, something ancient and incomprehensible.

"W-What is this?" Y/N stammered, her voice trembling.

The figure stepped forward, their face obscured but their voice smooth and calm. "You’ve been living a lie, Y/N."

Her pulse quickened. "What do you mean?"

"You’ve been seeing what you want to see. What you think you need to see."

Y/N swallowed hard, fear creeping into her chest. "I don’t understand."

The figure raised a hand, and the mist swirled around them. "You wished to be beautiful, to be accepted. So, we granted you that wish. But it wasn’t real."

Y/N’s breath caught in her throat. "What do you mean? My face—"

The figure’s voice turned sharper, cutting through her thoughts. "The face you see is an illusion, a reflection of your deepest desire. In reality, nothing has changed."

Her mind raced, unable to process the words. "So… all this time, I’ve been… the same?"

"Yes," the figure replied. "To everyone else, you’ve always looked the way you did before. The only thing that changed was your perception of yourself."

Y/N’s legs felt weak, and she collapsed to her knees. "No… that can’t be true. People have treated me differently. I’ve been more confident. Everything’s been better."

"Confidence, Y/N," the figure said, almost gently now. "That’s what changed. Your belief in yourself gave you the strength to rise above the hate. Not your face."

Y/N sat there, her mind a storm of emotions. The hate, the despair, the constant doubt she had carried—it had been for nothing? Her reflection hadn’t changed. It was her belief that had carried her forward, not some supernatural transformation.

"But why… why did you do this?" she asked, her voice breaking.

The figure remained silent for a moment. "Because you needed to learn. You needed to see that beauty does not define worth. That your strength comes from within."

Tears brimmed in Y/N’s eyes. "So, all this time… I was the same person?"

"Yes," the figure whispered. "And now, the choice is yours. You can continue this illusion, or you can return to reality—with the knowledge that you were always enough."

Y/N’s heart pounded in her chest. The weight of the decision was crushing. Could she truly accept herself as she was? Could she go back to being the person she had been—the one who didn’t fit the mold?

"I…" she hesitated, the fear of facing the world as her true self rising like a tidal wave.

But then she thought of her members—Jiu, Sua, Siyeon, Handong, Yoohyeon, Dami, and Gahyun. They had always supported her, loved her, not for what she looked like, but for who she was. They had seen her pain, her struggle, and had been there, through it all.

"I want to go back," Y/N whispered, her voice trembling but resolute. "I want to be me. The real me."

The figure nodded slowly. "Very well. But remember, the hardest battle is with yourself. Confidence doesn’t come from others. It must come from within."

The world around her began to fade, the bright light dimming until Y/N was enveloped in darkness once more.

Y/N jolted awake, her body drenched in sweat. Her heart raced as she sat up, gasping for breath. The soft light of the early morning sun filtered through her bedroom window.

She blinked, looking around in confusion. Was it all a dream?

Her reflection in the mirror caught her eye, and she hesitated, fear creeping up her spine. Slowly, she rose from the bed and approached the mirror.

The face staring back at her was… her own. The same face she had always seen before the "transformation." Her original features, unaltered by the illusion she had lived with for months.

A small, bittersweet smile tugged at her lips. It was her—truly her.

There was a knock on the door, and Yoohyeon’s voice called out, "Y/N, are you up? We’ve got practice soon."

Y/N wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. "Yeah, I’m up. I’ll be out in a minute."

She glanced at the mirror once more, feeling a sense of peace wash over her. For the first time in a long while, she wasn’t afraid of what she saw.

At the practice room, the atmosphere buzzed with energy. The members were warming up, stretching and chatting, but Y/N could feel a slight tension in the air.

"How are you feeling?" Jiu asked, walking over with a concerned expression.

Y/N smiled softly. "Better. I… I’ve been thinking a lot."

Sua raised an eyebrow. "Thinking? About what?"

Y/N hesitated for a moment before speaking. "About everything. About how I’ve been feeling lately. I’ve been really insecure, and I let the hate get to me."

Gahyun frowned. "But that’s understandable, Y/N. It’s hard not to let it affect you."

"I know," Y/N nodded, "but I realized something. I’ve been looking for validation in the wrong places. I thought that if I looked a certain way, people would accept me. But… that’s not what really matters."

Siyeon, who had been listening quietly, smiled. "You’ve always been enough, Y/N. We all knew that."

Yoohyeon chuckled. "You’re one of us, no matter what anyone says. Dreamcatcher isn’t complete without you."

Dami nodded in agreement. "We’ve got your back, always."

The warmth of their words wrapped around Y/N like a comforting blanket. She had been so consumed by the negativity that she had forgotten the love and support that had always been there.

"Thank you," Y/N said softly, her voice thick with emotion. "I don’t think I could’ve made it without you all."

Handong placed a hand on her shoulder. "You’re stronger than you think. And you’ve always had it in you."

Y/N smiled, her heart swelling with gratitude. "From now on, I’m going to try to see myself the way you all see me. No more illusions."

As days passed, Y/N found herself adjusting to her new reality. No more hiding behind an illusion. Every time she faced the mirror, she reminded herself of her worth. It wasn’t easy—old insecurities still whispered in the back of her mind—but she fought them with the strength she had gained.

The world outside hadn’t changed. Online hate still existed, and the standards of beauty in the industry were still demanding. But Y/N no longer felt crushed by those expectations.

During a fan meet, as she greeted fans with her bandmates, she noticed a group of fans holding a sign that read, "Y/N, we love you just as you are."

Her heart skipped a beat. She had seen so much negativity, but in this moment, she realized that there were also people who supported her, who saw her for who she truly was.

"Thank you," she whispered to the fans, her smile genuine and full of warmth.

As the event went on, she felt a new sense of freedom. She no longer feared judgment. She no longer sought validation from strangers. Instead, she embraced her imperfections and her uniqueness.

One night, after a long day of schedules, the members gathered in the dorm's living room. They lounged in comfortable silence, enjoying each other's company.

Y/N broke the quiet with a soft voice. "I never got to properly thank you all."

Jiu glanced over, confused. "Thank us for what?"

"For standing by me. For reminding me that I’m more than what people see on the outside," Y/N said, her voice filled with gratitude.

Sua grinned. "Well, duh! You’re our Y/N. We’re a family."

Siyeon added with a teasing smirk, "Besides, you’re stuck with us now, whether you like it or not."

Yoohyeon laughed, throwing a pillow at Siyeon. "Forever Dreamcatcher!"

Dami smiled softly. "You’ve always been enough, Y/N. We just helped you see it."

Gahyun nodded enthusiastically. "And we’ll keep reminding you if you ever forget."

Y/N’s heart swelled with emotion. She looked around at the faces of her bandmates, her friends, and her family. They had always seen her true worth, even when she couldn’t.

And now, she finally saw it too.

"Thank you," Y/N said again, her voice barely above a whisper. "For everything."

---

Many months passed, and Y/N continued to grow both as an artist and as a person. She had faced her demons, confronted her insecurities, and come out stronger on the other side.

The world outside was still the same, but Y/N was different. She no longer feared the opinions of others. She had learned to love herself for who she truly was.

And in the end, that was the most beautiful thing of all.

[sunshine-overload]

[BSTS] Main Story S5CH7 ‘Wait and Hope’ - Part 1

Chapter 1

-starless office-

unei: ...There we go, the schedule for Team K's solo performance has been announced.

takami: Roger. I'll tell Taiga to update the ticket sales page.

unei: Thank you. Speaking of, what show are K going to be performing this time?

yakou: Kei is going to be deciding that shortly.

sin: Like an iron flower taking bloom.

takami: True, it's rare for Kei to leave a decision so late.

yakou: It should be made soon, so I'll let you know once I find out.

unei: In that case I'll sort out what permanent merch items need to be restocked. First I'll check our stock…

-phone rings-

yakou: Ah, don't worry, I'll take it.

unei: Thank you.

-unei leaves-

yakou (on phone): Hello, this is Theatre Starless. Thank you for your call. 

yakou (on phone): Hm? About Yoshino...? Um, I'm very sorry but the appearing cast members change depending on the show... No, that doesn't necessarily mean that he's waiting for his turn.

yakou (on phone): My apologies sir, but I cannot answer questions that involve the cast member’s personal information. All public information relating to our next performance will be posted on our official website, so please check there once it's been updated. Yes, thank you, goodbye.

-yakou hangs up-

takami: Who was that call from?

yakou: It was... a man claiming to be Yoshino's father. I don't know if he really was or not, but I don't see what reason someone would have to lie about it.

sin: It is not just lotus flowers that sink in the mud.

takami: Either way, I think you handled the call in the appropriate way, Yakou. If it really was his father then it's better you didn't say anything careless.

-time pass, rehearsal room-

saki: (...Yoshino-san seems distracted today, he keeps spacing out.)

yakou: .......

yoshino: Hm? Yakou, is something the matter? You keep glancing at me...

yakou: Ah... Well you see, someone claiming to be your father called the store earlier.

yoshino: What?

yakou: He sounded middle aged and spoke with a Kyoto accent... So I don't think it was just some random prankster.

yoshino: Oh I see, is that so? Thanks for telling me. I'll check in with him, he might've really called after all.

-yoshino leaves-

saki: Do you think something happened?

yakou: Could this be the 'time limit' he was talking about?

saki: Huh?

yakou: Ah, no it's nothing, sorry. You don't need to worry about anything, Saki-san.

—end

-

Chapter 1 extra

-starless backrooms-

-yoshino calls his dad-

yoshino (on phone): Don’t ask me why I’m calling, what are you doing? Why did you call the store directly?

yoshino (on phone): It hasn't been decided that I won't perform yet... What? You're coming here? But, your condition...

yoshino (on phone): Please wait a moment. Father!

-call hangs up-

yoshino: What am I supposed to do…

-time pass, rehearsal room-

kei: Practice today ends here.

ginsei: Kei, could I talk to you for a moment?

kei: What is it?

ginsei: Have you decided what show we'll be performing yet?

kei: I have a candidate, yes. It's a show based on 'The Count of Monte Cristo'. However, is is merely a candidate.

gui: You haven't made a decision yet?

kei: Indeed. I have yet to choose the lineup as well. So make sure you're all prepared.

-kei leaves-

ginsei: ...That's kind of unexpected.

gui: Unexpected?

ginsei: Usually Kei has no troubles making a decision.

sotetsu: He probably just has something he has to think about right? By the way, what are you looking so forlorn about? The lineup hasn't been decided yet meaning there's still a chance that you'll be chosen.

yoshino: ...I know.

sotetsu: What a mundane reaction. Compared to before you're acting a lot more mature about this, no?

yoshino: I don't intend to stay the same forever.

-yoshino leaves-

sotetsu: ...Then you should just make your move already.

yakou: ......

—end

-

Chapter 1 SideA

-starless restaurant area-

takami: I'm done setting the tables so should we open up the entrance?

yoshino: Yeah, go ahead.

takami: Could it be you're thinking about that phone call?

yoshino: Huh?

takami: I was also in the office when Yakou took that phone call. 

yoshino: Oh... So that's why. It wasn't a big deal, don't worry.

takami: I thought it might have been about your time limit working here.

yoshino: ...!

takami: You've talked about it in the past after all.

yoshino: Did I? I don't quite recall.

takami: You said something like "It would be easier if I could just give up".

yoshino: You remember it well huh.

takami: Seems like the part about it not being easy hasn't changed.

yoshino: ..... (frustrated noise)

takami: Sorry, I said something unnecessary, didn't I?

yoshino: No, if I put off making my decision then it'll cause trouble for the temp management team, right?

takami: I'm not trying to rush you. I don't want to interfere with your decision either. As a member of the temp management team though, my actual motive is to keep you around so we don’t lose a worker. Anyways, I'll go and open up the entrance.

-takami leaves-

-yoshino looks deep in thought-

—end

-

Chapter 1 SideA extra

-behind starless, evening-

yoshino: Zakuro, do you have a moment? I'd like to ask you something...

zakuro: Oh my, whatever could you need to ask me?

yoshino: Recently, you were unsure about your singing, remember? After you asked me about it, what made your mentality change? In your closing show, your singing was so clear, as if you'd moved past whatever was bothering you.

zakuro: Ooh, I see I see, so it's about that. I wouldn't say my mentality changed or that I did anything in particular, I simply remembered what it is that I must do. And then, my uneasiness vanished.

yoshino: What it is you must do...?

zakuro: I do not sing for the sake of expressing myself.

yoshino: What?

zakuro: A cog that rotates and allows Team C's shows to unfold. That is my intended form. In other words, it is essential that I stay here in this store.

yoshino: So, singing is just a means to an end for you? But then, that's...

zakuro: Every person has their own individual goals. I have mine and you have yours.

yoshino: That's... Yeah, that's true.

zakuro: I shall be going then.

-zakuro leaves-

yoshino: The goal of my singing…

—end

-

Chapter 1 SideB

-starless hallway-

sotetsu: Yo.

kei: What do you want? You look as though you're scheming something foolish yet again.

sotetsu: Just doing a little bit of reconnaissance. I'm curious as to why you're being uncharacteristically indecisive.

kei: ......

sotetsu: It's cause of Yoshino, right? Then you should just let him get on stage.

kei: You're supporting him then?

sotetsu: It's just cause I know things get interesting when he's backed into a corner.

kei: Hah... I see.

sotetsu: You've known that since you first got here too, haven't you? Yoshino, who was once hesitant in front of an audience had his place stolen and became a monster. It shouldn't be strange that I'm curious what'll happen next.

kei: What matters most is whether or not he's capable of capturing his role properly and showing it off on stage.

sotetsu: If you want to assess him, why not leave it to the guests to do so? That's how Starless works after all.

kei: I shall not deny that.

sotetsu: Well, it's tasteless to make a free bet. Let's see, if I end up being misguided and he doesn't live up to your expectations then, hm... I'll apologise and pay you a little visit with a special souvenir of mine.

kei: I don't see how you'd benefit from that.

sotetsu: I just hate when things are dull. Plus, getting on his good side would end up being an investment for me.

kei: Either way, I do not plan to take any personal interest into account. As always, I shall simply select those that will make for the greatest possible show. That is all there is to it.

—end

-

Chapter 1 SideB extra

-starless hallway-

ginsei: Oh, Yakou.

yakou: You're here early. Did you need something?

ginsei: I want to talk to Kei. I'm worried about our next show. So I want to ask him who's going to be singing...

yakou: ...I see. Yoshino seems to be dealing with a lot too.

ginsei: Is he?

yakou: Hm...? You haven't heard?

ginsei: I'm just concerned over who will be chosen to sing. Ah, wait, I guess that does involve Yoshino. If we perform 'Blooming in the Darkness' then I think Yoshino's voice would suit the atmosphere of the setting.

yakou: Ah, oh~ So that's what you meant…

ginsei: That's just my personal opinion though, Kei doesn't have to agree with it. I have some ideas for the direction too, so I'd like to hear what Kei's thinking.

yakou: Makes sense.

ginsei: Ah, wait. By saying that I don't mean to imply that your voice would be a bad fit...!

yakou: I know that, don't worry.

-time pass, starless office-

kei: ...In short, you're telling me to make Yoshino a standard member for this show?

ginsei: I'm not trying to interfere with the casting. And I know full well that the decision is up to you, our leader. I just think that 'Blooming in the Darkness' would suit Yoshino well. I guess I just wanted to let you know my opinion…

kei: Is that why you are also present, Yakou?

yakou: No, it's not like I want to lose the chance to sing it. However, when we performed 'GRAVITATE', Ginsei also chose me to sing for the same reason. So, I think for this show the most fitting members should be chosen for its lineup.

kei: Understood.

ginsei: I'll be going now then, excuse me.

-ginsei leaves-

yakou: ...So just 'suiting the song' isn't enough to be the most fitting choice?

kei: Indeed. However, there are also aspects that can only be evaluated once on the stage.

—end

-

Chapter 2

-rehearsal room-

saki: (I heard that K are going to be discussing their next show today. I wonder which play they'll choose...)

kei: Without further delay, I shall announce what our next performance will be. I have decided on the script 'Blooming in the Darkness'. The lineup will be—

yoshino: Please wait a moment.

kei: I have not finished speaking.

yoshino: I know, but please let me say this. In our next show, please allow me to be the singer!

kei: I had already been planning to do just that.

yoshino: Huh?

kei: The lead role shall be Yoshino. Sotetsu and I will be the supporting roles. Additionally, Sotetsu and Yakou will be double casted. The antagonists are Ginsei and Gui.

sotetsu: Oh? So it's happening huh.

yakou: ......

yoshino: Why....?

sotetsu: You just asked him to sing yet that's your reaction?

yoshino: That's because... I mean...

kei: I simply selected the most adequate members for the content of the performance.

yoshino: (shocked) ...Thank you very much.

kei: There is no reason to thank me. All it is that I desire from you is a flawless performance. However, it is true that I did receive a certain recommendation for you. I shall reveal that much.

yoshino: What do you mean?

sotetsu: Well, either way it's been decided. Whether you can pull it off or not is now all up to you.

yoshino: I know.

ginsei: I look forward to seeing what kind of show 'Blooming in the Darkness' will become.

gui: I will do my best as well.

kei: Do you agree with my decision, Saki?

saki: Yes, of course. I look forward to hearing Yoshino-san's singing.

yoshino: Thank you, Saki-san. I'll make sure I live up to your expectations.

kei: Allow me to give you a word of advice. What it is that you need to learn more about, is yourself. Knowing yourself and being able to channel that into your singing, will become the key to your success.

yoshino: ...Understood.

saki: (I wonder what kind of show it will be...)

—end 

-

Chapter 2 extra

-locker room-

yoshino: About what Kei said earlier... 

sotetsu: Hm?

yoshino: It was you right? The one who recommended me. Why did you do something like that?

sotetsu: Do what?

yoshino: Kei said someone recommended me to be in this show.

sotetsu: Ooh, that. I thought it'd be interesting, do you think I have any other reason than that?

yoshino: Interesting, you say...

sotetsu: People show their true colours when they're backed into a corner.

yoshino: What are you talking about?

sotetsu: Your 'time limit' is nearly upon you right?

yoshino: ......

sotetsu: Looks like I hit the mark.

yoshino: Even if you got me drunk, my private life isn't something that I can talk about.

sotetsu: Hahaha, you got that right. So, where are you aiming for then?

yoshino: What do you mean by that?

sotetsu: In the past, you didn't have anywhere to go but here. That's not the case anymore though, right? If all you want to do is sing, then you can do it anywhere. Do you want success here as a singer at Starless? Or would you rather sing elsewhere?

yoshino: Either way I still need to make a name for myself first and get recognised at the very least.

sotetsu: ......

sotetsu: You said you were jealous of Menou once, remember?

yoshino: Huh?

sotetsu: "If only I could be naturally assertive like him" I think it was? Do you still feel the same way now?

yoshino: About what?

sotetsu: I'm wondering where it is that your heart lies.

yoshino: (looks serious)

yoshino: Well, whatever you decide to do, you're the one that I placed my bets on. Make sure you make it an entertaining show.

-sotetsu leaves-

yoshino: I'm already well aware of my own weaknesses...

—end

-

Chapter 2 SideA

-starless backrooms-

yakou: Good work today. Are you heading home already?

yoshino: Uh... yeah. I wonder why it is that Kei chose me this time.

yakou: Kei said the reason himself, didn’t he? That he simply chose the best members for the show's content. It's not like I had intentions to give up the singer spot, but Kei doesn't take individual feelings like that into account. You're the one that must know that best.

yoshino: ......

yakou: I'm just thinking out loud here but... I'm not satisfied until I’ve repaid a debt fully. The fact I'm accepting that I wasn't chosen... is probably due to that. I don't know what you're going through... But I understand that it's something you need to fight for.

yoshino: ......

yakou: I'm not planning to lend you a hand or anything though.

yoshino: I know that already. I'm already planning to end this without anyone going easy on me.

yakou: If you're not up to scratch I'll steal the spot from you right away. So make it a success.

yoshino: Of course. That's why I need to get even stronger, because in the end, what I'm fighting against is myself.

yakou: To a more or lesser extent, I think everyone is the same on that front. So that we can all move on to the next stage in our lives.

yoshino: Regardless of the result, there's always the possibility that the future can't be changed.

yakou: .......

yoshino: However, even if this is the end for me, I want to go out on my own terms. So, I'll give it my all.

yakou: Yeah, me too.

—end

-

Chapter 2 SideA extra

-break room-

gui: So Dantès isn't a bad person... but he still gets imprisoned?

ginsei: Yeah, that's what happens. The person jealous of Dantès’ carefree lifestyle lured him into a trap.

gui: Villefort was also jealous of Dantès?

ginsei: No, the one who was jealous is Fernand. Villefort had completely different motivations... His feelings are very complex.

-rindou walks up-

rindou: Good work today. Your performance this time appears to have a high level of difficulty.

ginsei: Hey, Rindou. It's because the story is full of complicated character relationships. There's merit to doing shows like this though.

rindou: I heard that Yoshino will be the singer.

ginsei: Yeah, I think our lineup suits the show perfectly. It's just...

rindou: Is something worrying you?

ginsei: No, I wouldn't say I'm worried about the show... It’s just the atmosphere during practice has felt so tense.

rindou: True, recently it's as if an uneasy mood has enveloped the store.

ginsei: Yeah, that's what I mean.

gui: Is Yoshino also searching for something?

ginsei: I'm not sure... If he is, I think it's something that only he himself can find.

rindou: He's hiding his true feelings.

ginsei: Maybe. No matter what those around him say, if he doesn't find the answer for himself then he won't be able to swallow it.

gui: Swallow? Once you find an answer, do you drink it?

ginsei: No, it's just an expression. I mean that only you yourself can find the answer that you’ll accept.

gui: Can only find it yourself...

ginsei: In the end, all we can do for now is create the best show that we can.

rindou: You're Team K, so I'm sure that'll be an easy feat. I hope that it doesn't place any extra pressure on Yoshino, though.

—end

-

Chapter 2 SideB

-starless balcony, evening-

sotetsu: ....... (smoking)

kokuyou: (also smoking) ...Yoshino seems to be pushing himself.

sotetsu: That's Mr. Starless for you, word gets to you quick.

kokuyou: What do you expect in a store this small? You seem to be backing Yoshino an awful lot. Are you that worried about your fellow colleague*? 

sotetsu: That connection may have something to do with it.

kokuyou: It's not like joining around the same time means much.

sotetsu: That's what makes it interesting though. Back then he was clumsy at anything he tried, I never got bored of watching what he'd do next. It's something he wouldn't have been able to do anywhere but here.

kokuyou: Yeah...

sotetsu: If he could just sing more comfortably, he wouldn't have had any difficulties.

kokuyou: You sure value him highly huh? 

sotetsu: The ones that assign us value are the customers. I take the stage because that's what the customers want. That's all there is to it.

kokuyou: And despite that you say you're bored.

sotetsu: I'm just always hungry for some entertainment.

kokuyou: You've got bad taste as always. Well, whatever personal things you've got going on, it's not this store's style to ask about it. You can ramble all you want but in the end you're the only one who can choose the path you want to take.

sotetsu: You've got that right.

—end

*tl note: I’ve just put colleague so it reads better in english, but the word Kokuyou used is more like ‘a colleague who joined the company at the same time as you’.

-

Chapter 2 SideB extra

-rehearsal room-

mokuren: That's all for today's training. Continue to learn by repetition, all of you.

kasumi: Haa~~ As always you show us no mercy~ 

aogiri: Indeed. And I had just started thinking I'd gotten used to it... Oh right, Team K's show will be starting soon won't it? I've heard that they're a team that's also very strict about quality.

zakuro: Indeed Indeed, that goes without saying. It's the team managed by the Proud Polaris after all.

aogiri: ...Could you be talking about Kei? That's an oddly fitting way of referring to him. I'm looking forward to seeing what sort of show they produce.

zakuro: I feel that their upcoming show is shrouded in turmoil however.

hari: Really?

zakuro: It has reached my ears that Yoshino will be singing.

qu: Nothing about that sounds unusual to me?

hari: Same. Whilst it's true Yoshino is their understudy at the moment, he is still officially a singer.

zakuro: But then but then, why-ever is this show not a versus with their team placements at stake then?

mokuren: Who cares.

zakuro: My oh my, does what I said truly merit being dismissed so coldly?

mokuren: Whether you're an understudy or a standard member, the stage is the stage. If your position is getting in the way then just create your own team where you can sing. Or find some other place where you can sing.

kasumi: That may be true but...

hari: It's not exactly something you can pull off at the drop of a hat. We can't just do what Mokuren and Mizuki did so easily.

qu: If the solution was that simple none of us would have any troubles.

mokuren: Hmph. There's no need to prioritise anything over being able to stand on the stage. If you've decided to stand on it, then it's much more beneficial to just face yourself and the stage.

-mokuren leaves-

kasumi: Mokuren really never wavers on his beliefs huh~

aogiri: That's what makes them dependable.

qu: ...I can understand how Yoshino must feel though.

—end

To Part 2

[neuroticphysiologist]

what we know about paw patrol the mighty movie

(will always update, so if you want to reblog, it's best to do it after september 29)

hi everyone, finally, i made an ICYMI article for this film! i also made a playlist of all the trailers, promos, featurettes, etc., it's all right here.

and as always, no major spoilers.

- it was announced in october 2021 that there would be a second film

- the premiere date in the us moved from october 13 to september 29. it's also the premiere date for canada

- the movie will focus on skye

- first cast member anounced - taraji p. henson

- kim k revealed that she'll return as delores

- january 27: voice cast announced!

we have eight ryders! finn lee-epp will be ryder in the film

i predicted that justin paul kelly will be voicing chase in the film TWICE, but it never happened. i was wishing for him to shine as chase. well anyway, i'm sure christian convery will do great

christian corrao did well in all paws on deck, so yeah, confirmed that he's marshall

crying because it's not lilly bartlam as skye. clues are showing that it's mckenna grace. at first i was worried because i've heard her normal voice before. but because of spirit untamed, i'm sure she'll do great

callum shoniker returns as rocky

i knew luxton handspiker will be voicing rubble. he did well in rubble and crew

nylan parthipan as zuma? interesting...

- liberty with superpowers 😮 some sources say she has the power of elasticity, kinda like elastigirl from the incredibles. but we'll see

- chris rock is voicing one of mayor humdinger's cats

- for the other celebrity cast, we have kristen bell and james marsden as janet and hank who work in a junk yard, and serena williams as yoga yvette

- according to an article from the toy book magazine, the movie will explore chase and skye's "unique relationship". i'm a bit curious about this one... probably about their friendship? shippers, please don't

- the work-in-progress trailer was shown at cinemacon last april

- a giant mayor humdinger but better

- official promotions started with an ad on an airplane. let's take to the sky!

- their new hq is called aircraft carrier since the adventure city hq got destroyed by the meteor (source: trailer)

- the trailer was released june 12

- they have the junior patrollers: tot, nano, and mini, three little pomeranians that become part of the paw patrol, and they were trained by liberty

- the movie is rated pg due to mild action and peril. i have no problem with it. superhero films today are rated pg. it's surprising for some fans tho

- the main six pups have the same powers from the tv movie and subseries, but there are a few upgrades: marshall can create fireballs, rocky can be a magnet, zuma can turn into a puddle of water, and skye has super strength

- the detail on pups' power paws OMG? kinda looks like they leave some.fairy dust or smth

- we have 3 new songs for the movie!

down like that by bryson tiller was released september 8

bark to the beat by mckenna grace ft. blackbear was released september 15

learning to fly by christina aguilera was released september 22. the lyric video had some spoilers from the movie, the director warned us about this one.

- yes, we have a song for the movie by mckenna grace. will skye sing in the movie tho

- unboxing movie merch! so far, only nylan (zuma) posted about this one.

- last september 23, team canada cast went on an advance private screening of the movie

- last september 24, paramount pictures had set a guinness world record of "most dogs attending a film screening" in los angeles. 219 dogs came to watch the film

- so far, only finn lee-epp (ryder) had several interviews about the movie. the team us cast appeared only on featurettes and interviews that were recorded a few months ago

- the official soundtrack with original score by pinar toprak was released on september 29

- there will be a third theatrical film set to release in 2026!

- the movie is on digital on october 31!

- the dvd for the mighty movie will release in the us on december 12.

more to come!

[miajolensdevotion]

June 24, 2021

Verse: Ezra 9-10 Write/ Copy Gods words :

Ezra Prays About Intermarriage 9 After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, “The people of Israel and the priests and the (A)Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands (B)with their abominations, from the (C)Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. 2 (D)For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the (E)holy race[a] has (F)mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost.” 3 As soon as I heard this, I (G)tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and (H)sat appalled. 4 Then all who (I)trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the faithlessness of the returned exiles, gathered around me while I sat (J)appalled until the evening sacrifice. 5 And at the (K)evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, with my garment (L)and my cloak torn, and fell upon my knees (M)and spread out my hands to the Lord my God, 6 saying: “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities (N)have risen higher than our heads, and our (O)guilt has (P)mounted up to the heavens. 7 (Q)From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great (R)guilt. And for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, (S)and to utter shame, as it is today. 8 But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the Lord our God, to leave us a (T)remnant and to give us a (U)secure hold[b] within his holy place, that our God may (V)brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery. 9 (W)For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, (X)but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection[c] in Judea and Jerusalem. 10 “And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken your commandments, 11 which you commanded by your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land that you are entering, to take possession of it, is a land impure with the impurity of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations that have filled it from end to end with (Y)their uncleanness. 12 (Z)Therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters for your sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land (AA)and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.’ 13 And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for (AB)our great guilt, seeing that you, our (AC)God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a (AD)remnant as this, 14 shall we break your commandments again and (AE)intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us (AF)until you consumed us, so that there should be no (AG)remnant, nor any to escape? 15 O Lord, the God of Israel, you are just, for we are left a (AH)remnant that has escaped, as it is today. Behold, we are before you in our (AI)guilt, (AJ)for none can stand before you because of this.” The People Confess Their Sin 10 (AK)While Ezra prayed and (AL)made confession, weeping and (AM)casting himself down (AN)before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly. 2 And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, addressed Ezra: (AO)“We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. 3 Therefore (AP)let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and (AQ)their children, according to the counsel of my lord[d] and of (AR)those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done (AS)according to the Law. 4 Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; (AT)be strong and do it.” 5 Then Ezra arose and made the leading priests and Levites and all Israel (AU)take an oath that they would do as had been said. So they took the oath. 6 Then Ezra withdrew (AV)from before the house of God and went to the (AW)chamber of (AX)Jehohanan the son of (AY)Eliashib, where he spent the night,[e] neither (AZ)eating bread nor drinking water, for he was mourning over the faithlessness of the exiles. 7 And a proclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the returned exiles that they should assemble at Jerusalem, 8 and that if anyone did not come within three days, by order of the officials and the elders all his property should be forfeited, and he himself banned from the congregation of the exiles. 9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month. And all the people sat in the open square before the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of the (BA)heavy rain. 10 And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have broken faith and married foreign women, and so increased the guilt of Israel. 11 Now then (BB)make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers and do his will. (BC)Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.” 12 Then all the assembly answered with a loud voice, “It is so; we must do as you have said. 13 But the people are many, and it is a time of heavy rain; we cannot stand in the open. Nor is this a task for one day or for two, for we have greatly transgressed in this matter. 14 Let our officials stand for the whole assembly. Let all in our cities who have taken foreign wives come (BD)at appointed times, and with them the elders and judges of every city, (BE)until the fierce wrath of our God over this matter is turned away from us.” 15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah opposed this, and (BF)Meshullam and (BG)Shabbethai the Levite supported them. 16 Then the returned exiles did so. Ezra the priest selected men,[f] heads of fathers' houses, according to their fathers' houses, each of them designated by name. On the first day of the tenth month they sat down to examine the matter; 17 and by the first day of the first month they had come to the end of all the men who had married foreign women. Those Guilty of Intermarriage 18 Now there were found some of the sons of the priests who had married foreign women: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah, some of the sons of (BH)Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers. 19 They (BI)pledged themselves to put away their wives, and their guilt offering was (BJ)a ram of the flock for their guilt.[g] 20 (BK)Of the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah. 21 (BL)Of the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah. 22 Of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah. 23 Of the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer. 24 Of the singers: Eliashib. Of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri. 25 And of Israel: of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Hashabiah,[h] and Benaiah. 26 Of the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah. 27 Of the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza. 28 Of the sons of Bebai were Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai. 29 Of the sons of Bani were Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth. 30 Of the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh. 31 Of the (BM)sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah. 33 Of the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei. 34 Of the sons of (BN)Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasu. 38 Of the sons of Binnui:[i] Shimei, 39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph. 43 Of the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah. 44 All these had married foreign women, and some of the women (BO)had even borne children.[j]

What is your favourite verse or verses?

23 Of the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer. 24 Of the singers: Eliashib. Of the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.

Explain in your own words what you just read:

After his arrival and the proper accounting of all the gifts brought from Babylonia, Ezra was presented with bad news. The spiritual condition of the post-exile community was bad, and this was evident in their failure to separate from the pagan peoples that still populated the region.

Commitment / what will i do : I will quite unable to resist the attacks of their jealous neighbors

[theplayer-io]

Come visit today!! Call us at ♾♾♾-♾♾♾♾♾ Or 111-1111 in AU 88

[dokifluffs]

Not the End | Kuroo Tetsuro

Pairing: Kuroo x Reader (female)

Genre: heart warming fluff tehe

Author’s Note: Literally one of my most favorite things I have ever written so I really hope you guys like it too~!! 🥺🥰🥰time to embrace canon kuroo and make more fluff, even if it means breaking a 4th wall or 5th wall- dedicated to haikyuu, thank you for everything

He knocked repeatedly on the door as clouds casted by in the sky, blocking out the sweltering summer sun

He wore a white oversized t-shirt with the periodic table on it and black jeans

“Where is she?” He thought to himself as he spammed your doorbell, hearing the chime echo inside yet there was no movement to be seen

He glanced at his watch seeing the time

He fortunately came early but if you didn’t come out now, the window of extra time would be shutting

He was growing just the tiniest bit antsy since he had been dreaming about this date for so long and now that it was summer and volleyball was over, he had the time

Tickets were hard to get for these museums he had planned and he had a whole day planned down to every hour

It was early in summer so it was perfect, not too scorching hot

He couldn’t wait anymore and pulled out your spare key from your flowerpot, putting it back neatly as if it was never touched

“Y/N?” He called, his strong voice echoing into what seemed like an empty house

He slipped out of his shoes and made his way upstairs, almost always finding you there if you never answered the door, his calls, or anything

Your bedroom was like your sanctum having all that you needed- an air con fan, tv, surround sound, and most importantly, your bed that you had all to yourself

approaching your bedroom, the door cracked open, he could hear the faintest sound of music playing 

“Oya?” He knocked on your bedroom door as he pushed it open, relieved to find you

But he didn’t know how to feel seeing you curled up wearing his stolen hoodie, still in bed when you knew about the time for today’s events

“Hey, what’s up? We have to get to the station-“ he paused when he saw you look up to him, uncurling your face from your pillow

Your eyes were red and cheeks tear stained, matching your pillow cover that you hugged

“K-Kuroo...” you sobbed, inching yourself in your little ball form toward him as he sat on the edge of your bed, the mattress dipping beneath his weight

“W-what is it?” He was surprised as you laid your head on his lap

His mind went frantic as he went through your messages in his head, trying to remember if it was a certain day he missed- it wasn’t anyone that he knew of’s birthday, not an anniversary date or anything

Why were you so heartbroken?

Your eyes glistened from the sunlight in the room as you teared up once again, little wet drops forming on his jeans

“R-remember that manga and anime I was watching?” You sniffled as you sat up, your pillow in your lap and your fingers playing with the hem of it. “The volleyball one?”

“Yeah, did a character die or something?” He tried to make light of the situation and it worked, just the slightest but your emotions were getting the best of you

“No, but the last chapter of the manga came out…” tears dripped off your chin as you swallowed a hardened lump in your throat, the words aching as you spoke

listening carefully, he could hear you were listening to a slowed down version of one of the opening themes- he only knew this because of how many times you would put on the themes while riding in the car

but this was the slowed down version, or as you called it the “moonlight version,” and it was setting the mood for you, making you more sad 

Kuroo remembered the day back in junior high/ end of grade school when you started following this manga about volleyball

“You need to stop listening to this, it’s just making you sadder,” he laughed awkwardly, pausing the song that was playing on loop. he knew this volleyball anime/manga meant the world to you, but not like this 

Your eyes lit up when you read or talked about it to him and he asked you why not play for the girls’ team but you settled on being the manager for Nekoma instead, wanting to cheer them on and also being with kuroo and kenma and all your other close friends on the team 

It made him feel like you loved the show and manga more than him sometimes and it kinda hurt since they were fictional characters and he was your boyfriend, a real life actual volleyball player

“All the characters got their story, they grew above and beyond, and the main character was finally able to make it to the world stage with his partner from the high school team and- “ your voice cracked as you spoke, the wound reopening, fresh in your chest as everything you read, everything you watched, all the glorious moments came rushing through your mind

Everything you fell in love with for the past eight years came rushing back and you loved it all so much, it made you so warm but it also hurt thinking about how there wouldn’t be any more to it

You wanted to curl into a hole and rewatch and reread everything as much as you could

No more chapters, most likely no more official arts- all you had left was the animated show that would be continuing and finishing in a couple months

“Kuroo, I don’t want it to end,” you sobbed, your hair falling, hiding your face

He didn’t miss how your knuckles turned white as you gripping your pillow, only able to imagine the heartache you were feeling

he knew very well how much this all meant to you, all the rants and extensive conversations you had with him, begging him to watch the show- especially because of a bed headed character that was just like him 

you reminded him so much of kenma- you talked, read, and watched everything about this story like kenma when he got a new game or was watching hinata play volleyball

You want to see more, hear more of the voice actors, the characters growing. You want to be beside all of them and see their story to the very end

All the antics between the characters that made you break into a smile or fits of giggles, all the cheers made for the different teams in your manga/anime- all were so addicting

“Hey, shhh,” he pulled you gently into his embrace, one hand holding the back of your head, the other rubbing down your back. “I know you don’t but all good things must come to an end, right?”  

He glanced at his watch just the slightest bit, seeing the time, relieved to know he still had enough

“Look on the bright side; you were able to read and watch it while it was still being made, you got to anticipate the next chapter and episode, seeing all the characters develop and become great people who’ve had such a great impact on your life.”

He pulled you back and wiped your tears away on your cheek

“This may be the end of the story, but it’s not the end for you; everything will live on inside of you, right?” He held your face in his hands, making sure his words got to you

“It won’t be the end of your life, or any of your favorite characters’. The story you were presented with came to an end but their lives are still going, just like yours.”

You buried yourself into his arms, muffling your cries into his neck as he chuckled, holding you

“Come on, get dressed and I’ll make sure all this sadness you’re feeling will go away. I’ll be the wind that’ll shift the storm cloud brewing above your head,” he stood up, still holding you and setting your feet on the ground

“I won’t let you be sad, not on my watch, chibi-chan,” he looked down to you with a smile as he pat your head. “Your body won’t even realize L-trytophan’s being converted into L-5OH-trytophan, converting serotonin by an aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase.”

The gawk you had made him let out his hyena laugh, just hurting his pride ever so slightly that he had made one of the smoothest lines in love-history and you didn’t even swoon

“I’m gonna make happy chemical in your body make your heart go doki doki,” he put simply to which you nodded, breaking in to a laugh, calling him a nerd under your breath as you changed

But he was your nerd, and he was right 

No matter where you were in life, you got to have this special manga and story in your life and experience it first-hand whereas others were missing it

Everyone lives on, even if you can’t see them

Thank you, Furudate, for bringing Haikyuu into this world <3

~~~~~ Thanks for reading! Masterlist for more! Please do not repost anywhere else!

Tags (let me know if you wanna be tagged for all my haikyuu posts): @yams046  @mazey-chan  @sunboikyo00  @kara-grayson04​  @fortheloveofbakugo​ @tsumtsumsemi​ @osamuonigiri @sam-ate-giorno​​​ @1-800-wholesome​ @realityisoftendisapointing@plantisnotplant @k-eijiakaashi​ @pink-panda-pancakes​ @differentballooncollection​ @osamusamusamu@therainroguefanfiction​ @euphorihan

[ditttiii]

Enchanted To Meet You || 5.5 || JK’s Interlude.

Banner by: @thebannershop​

◈ Summary: No one ever told you that you had a soulmate or—soulmates, for that matter. Humans don't have soulmates, but shapeshifters do. What are you supposed to do when the seven members of the worlds biggest boy band turn out to be your soulmates—only for you to realise that they aren't even human

BTS is on a hiatus and ARMY thinks they are completing their mandatory military service. You believe that too, at least you did until you realised that you had adopted them and that one way or another they were gonna live with you—as Hybrids because apparently, you all are soulmates. 

◈ (Hybrid AU // Soulmate AU) (Fluff // humour // smut // angst  // eventually NSFW) (NC-18) (Ot7 x Reader) (slow burn)

◈  series master-list

◈ Word Count: 2051

◈ Warnings: Maybe one curse word? PG-13 (sfw)

You're the debt that brought me back to my life 너는 내 삶에 다시 뜬 햇빚 The Second Coming of My Dreams as a Child 어린 시절 내 꿈들의 재림 I don't know what this feeling is 모르겠어 이 감정이 뭔지 Is this a deceitful dream? 혹시 여기도 꿈 속인건지

Jungkook hates quite a few things in his life at the moment—hates having to hide from his soulmate, hates that he has to pretend like he was just a rabbit and not a living, breathing human too, however more than anything else he hates himself. 

God, he despises himself now more than ever. He had hurt you, made you cry, made you fear your own home. He was supposed to be someone you felt safe with, and yet he almost gave you a heart attack today.

Jungkook at the moment feels like a fraud, a sham as he gazes at you—looks at your peaceful, sleeping face. Small, warm puffs of breath hits his head and he feels his fur move under the soft force. 

‘Tingles’, He thinks.

He feels your warm presence cocoon him as his body heat mingles with yours. Here, curled beside your sleeping figure like this, he can't help but curse himself. His self-loathing at an all-time high, as he thinks back to what had happened a few hours ago. 

He knew it was a possibility, knew that it could happen.

The chance of you coming home suddenly and catching him in his human form wasn't an improbable one.

Jungkook, though, couldn't stand it anymore. It wasn't like he would have died if he hadn't shifted, but being a rabbit all the time wasn't the most comfortable feeling ever either. 

His bones ached, and his muscles were sore because of the prolonged shifted state. 

He also wasn't used to being in his animal form for an extended duration of time. He'd usually shift back after a few hours, and so this wasn't a problem he had been aware of before. 

The feeling of staying shifted for days on end had him feeling claustrophobic. It was the kind of claustrophobia he thinks he would experience if he was locked inside a too tiny box with his limbs wrapped awkwardly and uncomfortably close to his body. 

Suffice to say it wasn't the most comfortable state of being. 

His plan was to make use of the few minutes while you were out shopping to shift back to his human form and just stretch. He hadn't planned on staying like that for longer than maybe ten minutes. But when he had shifted-back the relief—oh god, the relief was almost intoxicating.

It's potency so concentrated, he had ended up groaning out loud as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. 

The numbing, constant aching of his bones and muscles, more than anything else, had left him feeling exhausted for the last few days. The pins and needles feeling when he had shifted back was enough to send him tumbling down onto the floor, as his unsteady feet refused to hold his weight. 

Jungkook had been practising boxing with his trainer before all of this had happened. He also had a black belt in Taekwondo—the very principle of which was to harness an indomitable spirit. He was fit, active, athletic and buff. Staying shifted for extended periods into a form so much smaller than his human one, was borderline torturous at times. 

Jungkook simply did not know how he was supposed to hold back. 

He had many qualities that he was admired for, but iron like self-restraint wasn't exactly one of them. Maybe, more like the lack, thereof the aforementioned, self-restraint would be more appropriate. 

Jungkook wasn't born talented. Not like the rest of the band members. As a student, he wasn't really the brightest pea in the pod either, his math skills are still nothing to boast about. 

What most people saw was the end product, the final result that would come out after Jungkook would spend hours, days—months, perfecting it. He had said it before, but in reality, he wasn't as perfect as his stage persona portrayed him to be. While BTS's Jungkook was perfection personified, with his precise dance timings and on-point vocal notes, Jeon Jeongukk struggled.

When Jeongukk had first joined BTS, he had been more of a dancer than he was a singer. He had never, ever had the assumption or even the hope, that he would be chosen as the main vocalist. When he was rejected during the auditions for Superstar K, the talent show, Jeongkook was heartbroken.

It wasn't something he had ever talked in-depth about to ARMY, but his confidence in his vocal skills had taken a hit that day. He had chosen his then idol, IU Noona's song, and had sung it for weeks, perfected every single note until the feel of that vibration, the beat of that rhythm had synced to his very pulse. 

But he was rejected, cast out before his audition could even be broadcasted. 

He till date can't fully understand why bighit, let alone seven fucking agencies, had thought he was worth their time. Maybe it was fate playing its card and bringing him together with his soulmates, or it was just a coincidence—he didn't know why and probably never would. 

He knows that it wasn't exactly a necessity for all of his soulmates to be idols, you clearly weren't. He knew precisely how lucky he was, and was therefore so utterly thankful that he could share his passion and love with all of his soulmates. 

Yes, All of his soulmates, you included.

Jungkook isn't a snooper, not really. Sure, he has always been curious by nature, and his maknae persona only fuelled that image, thus overtime making him seem more like the baby in the group—but no he wasn't a snooper. 

He knows how much he values his personal space and, so would never deliberately try to breach upon someone else's but you—god you, made him do things he would never choose to do before. 

He hadn't wanted to, or well maybe he did want to, but he definitely didn't mean to. It wasn't like he had been planning to check your laptop folders. 

No, because when just stretching hadn't quite fully loosened his body, he had thought he'd do a quick dance routine and get the blood flowing. How was he supposed to know that he would find BTS songs, their songs, his songs on there?

He shouldn't have been surprised, but he still was. Their fandom was pretty big, and the chances of a college girl listening to their music were pretty high. You were part of the demographic that they aimed and catered most towards, so it was to be expected, but it still caught him by surprise. 

Dressed in one of your loose hoodies and a pair of loose pyjamas, he looks at the screen. 

His breath still hitched in his throat as his eyes widened, glossy, doe-like large and oh so so curious.

His grip on the back of your chair slips, as he stumbles before getting a hold, and slowly sinks down onto the empty seat. Thinks about how you have probably spent hours pouring over your medical texts in the same exact chair, and that makes him feel closer to you. 

He has been curled around you, has slept with his face literally pushed into your cleavage, but somehow the simple act of sharing a space that you spent a lot of your time in, sends his heart racing as a small smile overtakes his lips and he bites them to stop it from spreading entirely.

He fails, of course, he does. 

He clicks on the folder titled 'BTS' and watches a list of sub-folders pop up on his screen. His heartbeat rises—thuds and beats strong enough that he feels it in his ears, in the back of his throat, in the wrist that touches the table as he glides the mouse across the surface. 

His palms feel sweaty, and he feels this anxious feeling pool somewhere deep in his stomach, as his gut squeezes. It feels like his conscience is telling him something. That he shouldn't be doing this. This feels like something dangerous, but something he desires. The folder the screen displays the apple to his Adam. 

You? his forbidden fruit.

His breaths grow shorter, as he unconsciously tries to be as quiet as he can be and leans forward to look at the vast array of songs you had. As his eyes rake over the meticulously named albums with their years after them written in brackets, he almost chuckles. 

He isn't surprised to see that you were anal about categorizing your songs too. From what he had observed of you in the last few days, he would be more surprised if you weren't.

His finger glides over the scroll wheel of the mouse, as he reads the titles of the songs. Every single song they had released was on there—Official and covers. 

Every. Single. One.

Whether you were just a really dedicated ARMY or it was because of the soulmate bond, he didn't know, but it doesn't matter to him what the reason was. 

Because there they were, he and his hyungs splayed all over your computer screen. Their photoshoots all lined meticulously year after year, their random pictures that you had probably picked up from twitter or weverse grouped by year and then there were screenshots. 

Screenshots of tweets, weverse, certain parts of interviews of theirs, that you had ever liked were all there. It was fascinating, surreal, insane to be able to see himself and the hyungs through your eyes, the eyes of their soulmate. 

Somewhere, between finding you in that shelter, to now living with you, he had stopped thinking of you as human, as someone different. 

Yes, you weren't quite the same as he was, but he didn't care anymore. Because you loved him, you cried for him, you laughed with him and more than anything else you completed him. Filled his aching, longing soul with love until it overflowed and he felt full, content—sated. His thirst for your presence quenched, for once in all his life. 

However, the realisation that he had found his last soulmate hadn't fully sunk in yet. He couldn't even imagine what the others must be feeling right now, he was sleeping curled around you and, yet all he wanted to be was closer, it was this all-consuming feeling that kept pulling him under, dunking him in its depths. 

The crazy part was he didn't even mind it anymore, he would drown in the deepest depths if he could feel your hand pulling him closer in there, your lips locking with his as you breathe air into him, save him, make him yours.

Kami, he wanted you to make him yours, mate him, mark him.

He knew it wouldn't happen anytime soon, you didn't even know they were your soulmates. Sure, you liked them as artists, but what teenage or college girl didn't have a favourite band? They could very well just be a passing fascination for you at this point, a fleeting interest, a secret guilty pleasure before you move on with your life. 

Wasn't that how fame usually worked? It was eager, intense, loud until it suddenly wasn't and one was left with a gaping hole in their heart, that they aren't ever able to fill after. 

Jungkook didn't want that, he didn't want that for his hyungs either. It was something he had figured out years ago. He wasn't about to let this fickle, fleeting fame catch him in its lusty claws. 

He would give this life his all, pour literal sweat, blood and tears into it, but once his extended contract ends, he will step back. 

He will bow down low as the curtains close for the stage of 'The Golden Maknae' and, the path paves for Jeon Jeongkook. The boy who had come from Busan with a heart full of hopes and dreams and had ended up achieving and getting more than he had ever even imagined or hoped for. 

He would be thankful to his fans, to his company, to his Hyungs, to this industry, for taking care of him and letting him fly under their warm protection, but he would be done. As the curtains fall close, the mask will slip, and he'll turn, and you will be there. 

You with your bright grin and glimmering eyes would look on at him proudly, and he'd kiss you, hold you and know that he didn't want fame because he had you. 

And you were all he had wanted for as long as he can remember. 

After all, you are the cause of his euphoria, a home with you his utopia. 

Filling in the plot, adding it the finer details. 

Since the taglist is pretty long now and I can’t continue to keep them all in my comments, I will be putting the taglist up here from next chapters onwards. Tumblr is glitchy and some of you might not be notified so I am sorry about that. However, if you are a regular reader and have left me feedback time and time again, whether it was a comment or an ask with your thoughts on this story, I’ll tag you down in the comments since I know you definitely do read the work and appreciate it and I am so grateful for your support.

Thank you for reading  💖

[kanakana-darling]

SECRETS OF THE TOMB [ FAINT LIGHT SSR ] PT 4

“The prankster, the kind soul, the ruthless slayer of enemies—they’re all me. I would never have thought that the first person in this world to understand me would be my enemy.”

DISCLAIMER:

This is a fan translation, As I am not fluent in Chinese and just wings translations, my translations may not be to you liking and there might be some mistakes here and there.

-Kana

Location: Outside the Palace

Three days have passed since the last Transmission of information. Today, it should be the time I receive new instructions.

I dig the clay pot from the ground and opened the sealing strip. Sure enough, there was a piece of papyrus inside.

Y/n: I don't know.... will they cooperate with Lu Jinghe?

[ F L A S H B A C K ]

Lu Jinghe:

You don't need to rush the reply, I know your just an internal spy and have no right to decide.

You might as well tell your leader that I want to "abandon the dark and cast the light" first, and let them decide whether to cooperate with me.

For the sake of saving your life back the, Sending one message wouldn't be excessive now would it?

[ P R E S E N T ]

I took a deep breath, opened the papyrus and quickly read the text on it.

Y/n:

Accept the cooperation.... get the news.... monitor the Pharaoh.

! ! !

The chief also hoped that he could gather information about the coronation ceremony from Lu Jinghe.

He asked me to tell Lu Jinghe that he could cooperate with him. After the incident, the resistance army would keep him alive and ban him from the frontier.

However, the leader does not intend to fulfill this promise. If the plan goes well, they will settle Lu Jinghe after the execution of the Regent.

Y/n: Because Lu Jinghe is the 'orthodox' heir to the royal family, he must disappear.

Seeing this, my mood became a bit complicated

Perhaps, as Lu Jinghe said, he was also a victim of the atrocities of the Regent.

He bears all the infamy, and while surviving in the dark, he tries his best to protect the officials who are sincerely thinking about the country.

Can such a person..... really not survive?

Y/n:

Not only did I fail to replay the kindness.... but I also failed my benefactor and gave him a false promise.

.........

I sighed heavily and continued to read the letter.

When I saw the last line, I could hardly believe my eyes, and my heart sank.

Y/n: "If you find that the Pharaoh is suspicious, immediately..... execute him!"

Location: Bedroom (Pharaoh's Chamber)

With mixed feelings, I returned to the Pharaoh's chambers. Lu Jinghe was lying on the bed reading a book with a leisurely expression.

After composing myself, I smiled and walked to Lu Jinghe.

Y/n: What are you looking at so attentively?

Lu Jinghe: Nothing. Just a travel note

Y/n: I received the reply

Lu Jinghe: Really, how did it go?

Y/n:

The leader agreed to your request as well as the cooperation.

You have to tell us the specific number and information of the guards beside the Regent, as well as the position of the guards during the coronation ceremony.

Lu Jinghe: Don't worry, I know all the guards around the regent very well.

Since we were 'Open and honest' Lu Jinghe stopped pretending to be frivolous in front of me.

Lu Jinghe: I have participated in the coronation ceremony myself, and the guard position remains the same.

Y/n: Well, after the matter is done, the leader will release you and order you to be exiled from the frontier.

Lu jinghe: That easily?

Lu Jinghe sat up from the bed and stared at my eyes.

Lu Jinghe: Did they really agree?

CHOICES:

Hide the truth

Carefully remind

Lu Jinghe saved my life and protected me from being harassed by the regent several times in the palace.

Y/n: The leader said that he would send you to the frontier in the name of exile.... However, the journey is far and may not be safe.

Although I made a false promise with Lu Jinghe in accordance with the requirements in the letter, I also hinted at him carefully.

Lu Jinghe: Are you worried about me?

Y/n:

After all, you did save me, you are my benefactor.

But before the coronation ceremony, I will monitor you, so don't try to escape.

Lu Jinghe: I hope your leader can abide by the agreement and fulfill his promise.

Lu Jinghe looked out the window and a bright moon hung in the sky, emitting a soft light.

Lu Jinghe: The moon tonight is beautiful.

Throwing away the dull mask, Lu Jinghe's eyebrows seemed to soften, more similar to what they were 2 years ago.

Y/n:

Do you really.... not feel a shred of attachment to the position as Pharaoh?

Even if you are a puppet, you still enjoy a life of prosperity, drinking the best wine and eating the most delicious food.

Lu Jinghe turned his head, the smile on his face was somewhat ironic

Lu Jinghe:

Do you know? I wake up from nightmares every night.

This place has never been a home for me but a..... battlefield.

Brother's and sisters cannot be trusted, and are regarded as thorns by their loved ones... The blood connection is not family affection but the hostility

For so many years, I have been living in fear and all I long for is 'survival'

Y/n: .......

I looked at this sometimes frivolous, sometimes childish young pharaoh in surprise.

At this moment, he is like a deep lake, quiet and cold.

For some reason, I suddenly felt a little hole in my heart.

Lu Jinghe:

Power is not what I want from beginning to end. I Just want to be an ordinary person, without being hunted by fear every night.

I don't want to compete with the rebels for power, nor do I have the ability to compete with them.

Lu Jinghe's tone became relaxed again, he shrugged, seeming to laugh at himself.

Lu Jinghe:

After all, I am just a useless puppet.

The dynasty is over, and the resistance will come to power sooner or later. The people have gone through wars for so many years. What they need is Peace.

I stared at Lu Jinghe in a daze, trying to find any trace of joking on hid face.

But his eyes were full of seriousness, his brows and eyes were full of pity, and even..... a hint of annoyance.

In an instant, the scene of Lu Jinghe secretly saving the official at the Birthday party came to my mind.

Although I don't know whether he sincerely cooperated with the rebels, but I believe that he is sincere.

Y/n: (If Lu Jinghe were not a puppet with no real power, he might have been a benevolent ruler.)

However, there is no, IF.

Y/n:

Rest assured, the people will usher in a day of peace, and you can also live an ordinary and happy life.

You saved my life. And I will reply this kindness.

A small thought took root in my heart and grew quietly.

It was late at night, and y/n had left the chamber. Lu Jinghe looked at the moon outside the window and sighed helplessly,

Lu Jinghe: It is a pity that the power struggle isn't as simple as you think.

[ FAST FORWARD TO THE CORONATION DAY ]

One month later, the coronation ceremony of the Regent took place as scheduled.

At noon, the golden sun shines all over the palace, and the priest leads the regent and Lu Jinghe into the temple to receive it's blessings.

According to the rules, all the guards and confidants of the Regent stayed outside the hall and wait.

And I dressed up as the maid of the temple in advance, standing in the temple silently observing everything.

Location: Temple

The long blessing ceremony began, praying, chanting poems, praising God's grace... time passed by.

The surrounding area was quiet and peaceful, and only the voice of the priest reverberated in the temple, but I knew that the resistance army should have begun to move at this time.

Priest: God, you lead the night to the day, give life to all things, and give human souls....

In the center of the hall, the priest was chanting a poem.

Y/n:

(Counting the time. The leader should already be on their way,)

(Before the ceremony is over, they will probably be able o surround the temple... when the ceremony is over, they should be able to do it.)

After a month, I finally made up my mind and planned to secretly help Lu Jinghe.

Although there is a great risk in letting the Pharaoh go , Lu Jinghe is only a puppet with no real power, and has no ability to compete with the rebels.

Moreover, he is notorious. Even if he wants tor recruit troops in the future, he will not easily gain support.

So my behavior will not affect the leader's plan.

Even if I will be found out by the leader, I was ready to accept punishment. After all... my life was originally saved by Lu Jinghe.

Y/n: (Ever since then, we have continued on our separate paths, I no longer owe him anything.)

Priest: Your Honorable Regent, please come forward and receive God's blessing

When I heard the priest's words, I settled, holding the tray and stepping forward respectfully, holding the holy water to the priest's hand.

The regent straightened his robes and knelt on one knee, ready to receive his blessing.

Guard: Your Royal Highness!

Suddenly, the door was pushed open with a bang, and a guard rushed into the hall.

Priest: The idlers and other people are not allowed to enter the hall.

Before the priest was finished, the guard shouted.

Guard: Your Royal Highness, there is a traitor in the palace, the resistance army... The Resistance Army has broken into the palace!

Regent: What?! How is this possible!

The Regent, who was kneeling on the ground, stood up and looked at the guard in front of him in shock.

Guard:

Just now an attendant covered in blood came to report that the rebels had broken into the palace.

Now the other guards have gone to resist, I will be responsible for protecting you.

Your Royal Highness, Please leave here with me.

The Regent came back to his senses, looked at Lu Jinghe and the crown on his head, and finally gritted his teeth and walked towards the guard.

Regent: The temple has a back door, leave through the back door!

Y/n:

(There is even a back door! looks like the leader has yet to reach the temple)

(After a month of hard preparations, he could run away at this juncture)

Regardless of thinking, I pulled out the hidden knife from under the tray and rushed towards the regent.

Regent: Ah! Help, come and save me!

The knife in my hand was blocked by the guards, and a long sword was swung at me.

I hurriedly stepped back sideways, and the shining silver blade brushed my cheek.

Y/n: (This guard is stronger than me, and he also holds a long sword, I can't face him head-on)

Although my skills aren't good, long-term experience has made me more flexible.

The long sword struck me again, and the guards rushed towards me while paying attention to the regent.

Guard: Your Royal highness, retreat to the inner temple, and leave this assassin to me.

Regent: Priest, priest! Quickly, take me to the inner temple.

Y/n: Don't even think about running.

I'm short, so I avoided the sword swinging to my neck, dexterously passing in front of the guard, and rushing straight towards the regent.

Regent: What are you doing, come and protect me!

The regent shouted angrily to the priests, but several priests stood quietly aside, as if nothing had happened.

Seeing no one was protecting him, the regent looked around and ran towards the sculpture beside the temple.

Y/n: (No! I can't let him get a weapon for self-defense)

I rushed over, the short knife stabs forward at a fast speed.

The regent pulled the shield in the hands of the sculpture.

Guard: Your Royal Highness, quickly get away!

My strength is not as strong as that of a guard, and my entire arm is numb.

Gritted my teeth, I resisted the pressure of the sword.

Regent: Go to hell!

I turned my head and looked at the regent, and saw a sword pierced through his chest, bright red liquid dripped down the sharp blade.

To be continued

Pt 5

Preview line from @/thescentoflavender link

UPDATE ! !

-All the narrations will be in ITALIC

-Dialogues that are 2-3 lines will be indented together, the one speaking is above the indention

Like, Comments, Suggestions and reblog are much appreciated 🤗💖

[kerosene-insomniac]

To Be So Lonely

Pairing: Bakugou Katsuki x Midoriya Izuku

Warnings: alpha/beta/omega dynamics, violence, strong language, homosexual behavior, major character death {not bakudeku}

Word Count for Chapter: 3,715 words

Summary: Midoriya Izuku has always wanted to be a musician. Something about the lyric working with a melody to convey his feeling just made his heart race. After his father died when he was three, Izuku has always relied on his mother. She worked two jobs to care for him and always supported his dreams. But when his mother is diagnosed with breast cancer just after he graduated high school, Izuku has to shift his focus. Now he’s working two jobs and takes care of his mother with the help of his gay neighbors.

In an attempt to learn self-defense, Izuku takes a few classes at a local gym. It’s there that he meets Toshinori Yagi, an older beta who used to be a professional heavyweight boxer. Yagi notices Izuku’s potential and encourages the small omega to eventually go pro. So, in order to make more money, Izuku eventually agrees.

Bakugou Katsuki has only ever wanted to fight. Orphaned as the young age of four, Katsuki has been fighting to live for his entire life. Fighting is all he’s ever known. After fighting underground for a couple years, Katsuki is noticed by Todoroki Enji. The older alpha takes him in at 19 and names him the official successor of his legacy (especially since all of his actual kids hate him).

 Now, Katsuki is 25-years-old and the professional heavyweight champion.

In a whirlwind of events, Katsuki meets Izuku in the unlikeliest of places. He watches the small omega perform and can’t help it feel extremely protective and absolutely enamored with him. The older alpha gets to meet him and say goodbye without even learning the omega’s name. Katsuki isn’t sure that they’ll ever meet again.

That is, until Katsuki officially meets Izuku at a professional lunch with his manager’s rival.

{OR}

The one where Katsuki is a professional alpha boxer with arrogance issues and Izuku is a stubborn omega that’s way little too reckless with his well-being.

With a wacky cast of characters (including three idiots, a manly best friend, a traumatized bastard with daddy-issues, and many more) absolutely hell-bent on getting them together, neither men can seem to catch a break

{0.5} Icarus

“There are two circumstances that lead to arrogance: one is when you're wrong and you can't face it; the other is when you're right and nobody else can face it.”

― Criss Jami

I Z U K U

“It was nice seeing you after all these years, Enji.”

Izuku mentally groaned as Toshinori kept talking to the overgrown alpha. Their lunch had long since ended, so the small omega just wanted to head across the street and begin his warm-up.

And to get away from Katsuki Bakugou, who had been staring at him since this whole shit-show started.

Endeavor huffed in agreement and glanced in Izuku’s direction. “Your successor seems very headstrong, so I can’t wait to see how he fares today.”

I love that he’s talking like I’m not here.

“He’ll exceed your expectations. Let’s head out, Izuku.”

Izuku immediately relaxed, wagering standing to follow Toshinori out of the restaurant. His dress (which had been forced on him by Uraraka, who said something about looking nice for a certain alpha) brushed against his knees and tickled his legs.

Honestly, he couldn’t leave fast enough.

The small omega followed his teacher towards the exit, nodding respectively in Endeavor’s direction. And Todoroki’s.

When his gaze landed on Bakugou, he simply looked ahead.

The outside air caressed Izuku’s soft skin and made him sigh in relief. Compared to the tension in the restaurant, the slightest amount of breeze felt like a god-send.

“Young Bakugou seems very interested…”

Toshinori’s voice was teasing and affectionate, but Izuku immediately stiffened. There is no way that they were talking about the same alpha.

Izuku hummed lowly, adjusting his jacket. “I disagree, sensei. He seems arrogant and insufferable with a need to prove that he’s stronger than anybody else.”

“I think he’s just concerned for your well-being.”

The small omega huffed, his cheeks flushed a rosy pink as he glanced at his teacher. The idea of an attractive alpha feeling protective over him was flattering yet incredibly infuriating.

Izuku is here for one reason and one reason only.

“Deku! Wait!”

Fucking fuck.

Toshinori stopped and glanced behind them, his face lighting up in amusement. “It seems like someone wants to speak with you, Izuku. Don’t take too long and I’ll see you inside.”

The small omega paled.

Traitor.

His teacher hobbled away, chuckling to himself.

The familiar smell of caramel and cinnamon greeted Izuku’s senses. It was more than comforting, which made the small omega feel slightly mortified.

Izuku sighed in defeat and turned to face Bakugou, who had a less intense scowl on his face. His suit looked messier than before and the alpha appeared as if he had fought someone to catch up with him.

“What do you want?”

Bakugou didn’t even flinch at Izuku’s tone. “Nothing. I just wanted to-“

Izuku cut him off, crossing his arms. “If you’re to lecture me on my own idiocy, then don’t even try. You don’t even know me.”

“I just want to understand.”

That was enough to make Izuku freeze.

Izuku’s chest tightened as he locked eyes with alpha, who looked less angry than he had been during lunch. “There isn’t anything to understand. I’m doing this for the same reason as anyone else.”

Bakugou’s red eyes glinted. “But I’ve seen you perform, Deku. You fucking love music.”

“Stop calling me that.”

The alpha raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly. “I like that it pisses you off, so no. And don’t change the subject.”

Izuku scoffed. “Why are you so desperate to understand me? You shouldn’t concern yourself with my wellbeing.”

“Honestly? I have no fucking clue.”

Bakugou’s words hung in the air and floated amongst the tension. Izuku was a bright red as they stared at each other, searching for any sign of challenge.

Izuku swallowed thickly, looking away from the alpha. “Look, I’m well aware of the risks. I’ve been boxing underground for over a year and struggling to learn how to protect myself.”

“What if you get bitten, though?” Bakugou’s voice was rough.

The small omega sighed, anxiously rubbing his palm with his thumb. “As I said earlier, they would have to catch me first.”

Bakugou nodded after a moment, still studying him. “I still don’t understand your fucking need to be reckless. I also don’t get how everyone seems so fucking okay with it!”

“It’s not your job to worry about me.”

The alpha chuckled at that. “But someone obviously fucking needs to. I don’t give a shit about what your supposed friends think, but you’re going to be eaten alive tonight.”

Izuku’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

The small omega hummed and took a few steps forward. Bakugou froze, his breath quickening as Izuku’s face became centimeters away from his own.

I hate that he smells so nice.

Izuku chuckled, pulling away from the surprised alpha. “Then I guess you’ll have to watch. I don’t need your concern and I certainly don’t need your fucking protection, Kacchan.”

Bakugou blinked, still processing. “What the fuck did you just call me?!”

“Kacchan.” Izuku purred smugly, stepping back. “Good luck on your match tonight. Not that you’ll need it, of course.”

The alpha snapped out of his daze, his skin flushing at the compliment. “Hold on a damn second, shitty Deku-“

Izuku ignored him and walked briskly towards the entrance to the venue. His own heart was racing in his chest from the interaction, especially since Bakugou was obviously just as enamored as him.

He glanced back, smirking softly.

“I’ll see you later, Kacchan.”

*********

*********

K A T S U K I

“-and it was like his brain short-circuited.”

“No shit?! I would’ve paid cash to see that!”

“So manly, Bakubro!”

Katsuki growled loudly as his idiots ran around him in circles. Todoroki, who had been re-telling the events of lunch, smirked at him with as much smugness his stupid face could muster.

Nobody was doing their fucking job.

Sero and Mina were supposed to be preparing the med-kit supplies for the match, but they were fucking around and wrapping bandages around Kaminari’s head. Kirishima was supposed to be talking strategy with him, but he was talking excitedly with Todoroki.

And that half-n-half bastard?

He was reveling in Katsuki’s embarrassment.

“I swear to fucking god…” Katsuki huffed, his eye visibly twitching. “I will fucking end each and every one of you if you don’t shut the fuck up!”

Everyone froze.

Kirishima laughed awkwardly, obviously trying to ease the tension. “Don’t be so angry, Bakubro. We’re all just excited that you’re finally interested in somebody…”

Katsuki flushed a bright red. “I’m not fucking interested in that shitty nerd Deku! I just don’t want to see a weak bastard get eaten alive!”

“Sure, Blasty, sure.” Mina muttered sarcastically.

Don’t commit homicide.

Don’t commit homicide.

Sero looked at Katsuki with an indifferent expression, a used roll of bandages in his hand. “You’re acting like being interested is a bad thing. We’re not saying that you wanna fuck the dude, Bakugou.”

Katsuki grumbled loudly, trying to hide his embarrassment.

I totally fucking do, and that’s what’s embarrassing.

“…unless you do…”

The red-eyed alpha clenched his jaw and growled indignantly in Kirishima’s direction. “I totally fucking don’t, Shitty Hair! Who the fuck would even be into a shitty nerd like Deku?!”

Kirishima, Mina, and Todoroki shared a glance.

Sero and Denki simply snorted.

“I thought he was cute.” Todoroki spoke evenly, his eyes challenging Katsuki. “I found his confidence quite attractive.”

Katsuki stiffened, his stomach churning at the idea of Deku and Icy-Hot interacting at all. Red hot jealousy bloomed in his chest and spread like a wildfire throughout his body.

I think the fuck not.

“Someone looks jealous.” Mina sang smugly, making Katsuki scoff.

Todoroki hummed in agreement.  “He does. If I wasn’t emotionally invested in an omega from my office, I’d pursue Midoriya out of spite.”

Kirishima perked up at the news. “You’re interested in an omega? Since when?!”

And just like that, the focus shifted.

Katsuki silently got to his feet and walked around the small locker-room. His match wasn’t till the end of the tournament, but he usually watched other matches with Kirishima and critiqued their strategy.

It’s a tradition at this point.

What the fuck happened earlier?

Deku stood so fucking close to him. All Katsuki could smell was chocolate and cherries with the faintest hint of vanilla, which hadn’t been noticeable before. His stupidly cute face was so close that Katsuki could’ve kissed him.

And then he fucking left.

Deku left and turned back with a stupid smirk that screamed sexual innuendos in Katsuki’s direction. He called the alpha a ridiculous name, and Katsuki fucking let him.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

“Alright, bro. You ready to go watch some matches?”

Katsuki snapped out of his memory-filled daze and grunted in response. “Let’s go watch some losers, Shitty Hair. I need to relax before I kick Togata’s ass tonight.”

Kirishima grinned. “And maybe impress a certain omega?”

“Shut up.”

Both alphas headed out of the locker-room and towards the arena. There was a specific box that Enji rented at every tournament specifically so he could watch. He didn't seem to mind that Katsuki did the same thing.

Even if he did, Katsuki didn’t care.

The sound of screaming fans, alphas and omega alike, immediately made Katsuki cringe. He could barely make out a few words, but he didn’t care enough to process any of them.

In the ring, an alpha female and a beta female were kick-boxing.

We’re still in this part of the tournament.

Good.

“OH FUCK! Hagakure delivers a stunning roundhouse kick!”

Katsuki took a seat a little ways away from Enji and focused on the match. It was Yaoyorozu vs Hagakure. He had seen them in regular boxing, so it wasn’t that much of a surprise to see them deviate sometimes.

As a beta, Hagakure was shorter and relied heavily on her legs. She was known for being a skilled southpaw, so upper-arm-strength wasn’t out of the question.

Yaoyorozu was one of the few female alphas that Katsuki’s met in his life. She could be jumpy at times, but she also struggled with predicting/preparing for her opponents moves. She relied on her height to get in close and hardly receive any damage to her face.

Katsuki fought her once or twice. She’s definitely skilled.

“I think Hagakure strained her left leg.” Katsuki murmured, watching the way that the beta favored her left side.

Kirishima narrowed his eyes and leaned forward.  “I think you’re right. Yaoyorozu hasn’t noticed yet, though.”

Katsuki shrugged. “She will. Eventually.”

Sure enough, Yaoyorozu glanced at Hagakure’s feet and her eyebrows furrowed in surprise. As the beta pulled back to land another kick, the female alpha hit her in the face with multiple jabs.

As soon as Hagakure was distracted, Yaoyorozu landed a harsh kick to her left leg and swept them out from under her.

The beta didn’t get back up.

As the crowd and commentator went wild, Katsuki sat back and glanced at Kirishima. “I told you that Ponytail would notice. She’s been training.”

“It’s a good thing that we didn’t bet this time.”

“Yeah. You would’ve fucking lost.”

Before Kirishima could respond, the familiar sound of an intermission rang through the air. They had about ten minutes till the next match, so the sound was to let people know that there was a break.

Katsuki cringed at the sound.

“After our break, we’ll see the professional debut of Midoriya Izuku against a crowd favorite, Monoma Neito!”

And that was enough to make Katsuki freeze.

Oh fuck.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Monoma was an arrogant bastard that Katsuki hates with every fiber of his being. He was an alpha with a history of distaste for omegas, leading to an ever-growing fan base of shitty alphas.

Not only would he hate Deku, but he would try and rile him up the whole time.

This wouldn’t be a fair fight.

“Bakugou? You look pale.”

Katsuki snapped out of his daze and locked eyes with Kirishima. “I’m fucking fine, Shitty Hair. Monoma just pisses me off.”

Kirishima’s gaze softened. “You don’t have to watch, you know? I can just tell you what happened after the match is over.”

“I don’t need your pity. I’m fine.”

“Okay, bro. Whatever you say.”

*********                      

*********

*********

I Z U K U

“There. Feel tight enough?”

Izuku took his gloved hand away from Uraraka and moved his wrists. “They feel great. Thanks for being here, Uraraka.”

Uraraka grinned brightly, her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail as she went over Izuku’s things again. “Of course! Iida and I wouldn’t miss this for the world, Deku! Plus, Aizawa threatened to ground us if we didn’t……”

Sounds about right.

“Midoriya! Where is your mouth guard?!”

Izuku glanced over at Iida, who had a professional-looking med-kit in hand. “I put it in my bag…I think…”

Iida sighed and bolted to Izuku’s gym bag, muttering things under his breath. He and Uraraka had been his friends ever since high school, long before Izuku’s mom got sick.

They graduated a little over a year ago.

Now Uraraka is attending University to be a teacher and Iida is studying to be a doctor. Sometimes, the older alpha will come over and give Izuku’s mom a once-over. His family helps out a lot with her treatment.

But not enough.

Which is why Izuku is here in the first place.

“Your mouth-guard is important, Midoriya!” Iida chided, handing the omega a green piece of plastic.

Izuku hung his head, slightly embarrassed that the alpha was reprimanding him. “I was training late last night. After the stuff this morning, I couldn’t remember if I packed it or not.”

Uraraka grinned, her eyes glinting mischievously. “Speaking of which….I saw you and Bakugou in front of the venue.”

Oh god.

“And it seemed pretty flirtatious, Deku.”

Izuku flushed a bright crimson, resisting the urge to hide his face. “It wasn’t flirting! He was just being stupidly overprotective when he didn’t have the right!”

Uraraka smirked. “Alphas tend to be protective over people they care about. Or, in your case, people they are attracted to.”

“I don’t think it’s like that.”

His best friend gave him a look before looking behind him. “Sensei?! What was your impression of Bakugou when you met him?”

Toshinori, who had been talking with a few betas, looked in their direction and grinned as he walked over. “Young Bakugou was very outspoken about his concern with Izuku’s second gender. He’s quite enamored.”

“My point exactly!”

Before Izuku could argue, a female referee appeared in the entrance to the locker-room.

It’s time.

**

**

Izuku feels nauseous.

The small omega can hear the crowd screaming as his opponent is announced, but his brain can barely process any of it. His silk robe (an emerald color) clung to his curves and covered his freckled skin.

Since he’s no longer underground, there’s no need for the bunny mask.

Then his name is announced and he’s shoved into the shark-infested water. Izuku focuses his gaze on the ring, acutely aware of his team following behind him in quick succession.

Izuku can feel the disgusted stares among the screaming.

“You’ll do great, my boy.”

Toshinor’s voice was gentle and firm as he made Izuku look at him. He looked proud and confident in his abilities, which made the omega feel better.

Izuku swallowed thickly as his robe was pulled off of him. “I’ll win. For you and for my mom.”

“I know you will.”

Izuku hugged him and turned to enter the ring.

His opponent is a short but burly alpha who was obviously slow on his feet. His blond hair was parted and his pale eyes were full of amused disgust.

“Alright, boys,” The referee crooned, her black hair tied back. “I want a clean and fair fight. No funny business or I will dish out some punishments.”

Izuku nodded, studying the alpha in front of him.

Monoma, however, ignored the omega’s attempt to touch gloves and retreated to his corner. He was smirking in Izuku’s direction, shamelessly checking out every inch of his body.

“And…FIGHT!”

Izuku stepped forward, carefully guarding his face and waiting for Monoma to make the first move. He needed a strategy, above all else.

Monoma smirked. “I didn’t think they’d make it this easy. Omegas can’t fight, doll. It’s a known fact.”

The small omega ignored him, staying carefully light on his feet as they circled each other. It was becoming obvious that Monoma just liked hearing himself talk, so he had to wait for an opening.

“You’re not mated? How pathetic.”

There.

His eyes flicker to the crowd when he talks. He’s speaking loud enough for them to hear, meaning that he wants to put on a show.

Monoma chuckled some more. “What? Too scared to make the first move? I can do this all-“

Izuku lunged and landed a right hook to the alpha’s jaw.

Retreat.

The small omega immediately retreated as Monoma stumbled back in surprise. The crowd fucking lost it, screaming a mix of cheers and curse words.

Monoma huffed, growling lowly in Izuku’s direction.

Then he charged.

Izuku dodged, guarding his face as Monoma initiated an onslaught of jabs and pummels. Sweat gathered on his brow and his breathing sped up as he looked for an opening.

There.

Izuku brought his leg up and kicked Monoma in the gut.

The larger alpha gasped in surprise, but that was the opening Izuku needed. In quick succession, the small omega hit him with three jabs and a left hook.

Not without consequence, though.

“You fucking bitch!!”

Monoma growled loudly and landed a solid left hook to Izuku’s face.

Pressure, pain, and high-pitched ringing erupted from his right side. Izuku grunted in a mix of surprise and pain, immediately retreating to his corner and settling into a guarding stance.

In his confusion, Izuku was attacked from the right side again.

Two kicks and a mix of punches pummeled themselves into Izuku’s stomach, making the small omega choke and gasp.

“Enough! Back off!”

Izuku gasped, still standing upright as the referee pulled Monoma back. He could taste blood in his mouth, but his adrenaline was too high to feel any pain.

My strength is in my legs.

I need to aim my kicks high enough to land on his face. The nose is the most sensitive, so it would be my safest bet.

Izuku hardened his gaze and glared at the alpha in front of him.

Monoma charged, heading straight for Izuku’s right side. This time, however, the small omega was prepared and effectively slipped.

As he ducked under, Izuku moved and delivered a high-kick to Monoma’s face. The alpha choked and stumbled backward, grasping his face as blood immediately started to pour.

Before the alpha can recover, Izuku charges and delivers strikes to Monoma’s jaw.

DING! DING!!

“That’s the bell! To your corners!”

Izuku backed off and retreated to his corner, sweating like a pig and gushing blood from his brow.

He sat down, allowing his team to work.

“You’re doing great, Deku!”

Uraraka’s voice sounded close by as Iida and Toshinori crowded him. The alpha got to work on bandaging his eyebrow as the beta placed the water spout between his bloody lips.

Izuku panted wildly, drinking the water. “He needs to get close to land a hit, sensei. I fucked up his nose, though.”

“You did.” Toshinori supplied, pulling the water away. “Don’t forget to parry. Meet his hits head on.”

Right.

“2nd round! On your feet!”

Izuku took a deep breath and got to his feet. He could see better without the flow of blood in his eyes, so he definitely noticed the look of hatred Monoma gave him.

Monoma looked pissed.

DING! DING!!

“Fight!”

Monoma moved first this time, furiously charging Izuku like a raging bull. Instead of dodging or slipping, the small omega met his kick head on.

Their legs clashed, which Monoma clearly didn’t expect.

Izuku used his body weight to shove the alpha backward, giving himself enough room to land a few side-kicks. He kept his moves fast and precise, knowing that any wasted second could make him lose.

Monoma swung, but he overcalculated.

Izuku dodged and landed a harsh upper-cut to the jaw. He could feel the crunch of bones and teeth, which was more than satisfying.

After that, Monoma didn’t stand a chance.

Before the alpha had a chance to recover, Izuku shoved him back with another side kick and prepared himself to finish the fight.

Roundhouse.

Izuku leaned back and put his entire body weight into the kick itself. He aimed high, specifically for Monoma’s broken nose, and fucking succeeded with a perfect landing. It was fucking perfect!

Monoma crumpled into a heap, completely unconscious.

“That’s a TKO! Midoriya wins the match!”

Izuku stumbled backward as the cheers rang loudly through the air. His right ear was still ringing, but he definitely heard most of them.

As he was swarmed by his team, Izuku glanced upward.

Katsuki Bakugou was watching and yelling animatedly from a private box. His face was red and he looked pumped as he grinned in Izuku’s direction.

That was the last thing Izuku saw before losing consciousness.

*************

******

K A T S U K I

“Holy fucking SHIT!”

Katsuki watched as Deku’s team dragged him out of the ring, but his mind was running a mile a minute.

Despite taking multiple hits, Deku’s form was fucking perfect. Every move he made was carefully calculated and planned, along with a surprising amount of raw fucking power.

It was hot as fuck.

“Did you fucking see that!?” Kirishima was just as hyped as Katsuki, sounding hoarse from the amount of screaming they’d done.

Katsuki nodded, almost breathless as he glanced at his best friend. “I’ve never seen anyone TKO Monoma. I could probably fucking do it too, but Jesus fucking Christ.”

Kirishima met his gaze, smirking.

Oh no.

“He didn’t need your protection after all, bro.”

Katsuki swallowed thickly, shooting a mock glare in Kirishima’s direction before getting to his feet. “Shut the fuck up. Deku may have kicked that bastard’s ass, but he barely held up.”

Kirishima raised an eyebrow. “And where are you going?”

“I still have a fight to prepare for, dumbfuck.”

***********

**

[ot3-watch]

Episode 4: The Snow Job

Will I ever forgive the network for fucking up and ruining the episode order? No. No I will not.

NO, PEOPLE. DESPITE WHAT THE FUCKERY WOULD HAVE YOU BELIEVE, THE SNOW JOB IS NOT EPISODE 9

I never understood how people could just… take someone’s house away.

YES FUCK HIM UP

PUNCH HIS LIGHTS OUT HE ASSHOLE

Episode 2 of “I will never understand money”

WHY IS THERE ANOTHER SAM REFERENCE/?? AND WITH THE FUCKING FLASHBACK TOO I CAN’T

“I had fortune cookies for breakfast” PARKER WHY

“It’s not cereal, it’s a fortune cookie” and yet.. YOU STILL HAD THEM FOR BREAKFAST

HOw… Also… How did she happen to read a fortune that was going to be perfectly applicable? They don’t… they don’t actually work? Right? Fortune cookies are bogus right? Because I’m having chinese for dinner and i need to know what to expect

Ah yes, the start of Nate being too fucked up to function.

They never address his alcoholism well-- either they forget the con to focus on it or they ignore it because he does good work. I hate it

PEOPLE ARE THE WORST!! RETZING IS THE WORST

Why luge? Of all the snow related sports???

I love Eliot being a Lurker and Lurking. He’s so good at it.

These poor ACTUAL lugers. Having their accomplishments overwritten. Aww

Could you imagine if you’re looking at a news article about your recent win and all of a sudden it isn’t your face in the picture anymore? Seriously, that’s gotta hurt.

I remember just being so bored for most of this episode. Like,random parts were great but others…

ELIOT iS SUCH A GOOD GRIFTER

Parker is just… oh my god. “Help… help… -_-”

The random toblerone… were they sponsored? I feel like they were sponsored…

#obvious product placement

All the orange in that house is insane

Like, my mom is OBSESSED with orange but this is… eurgh.

“That’s what made this company what it is today” NO… CHEATING AND ASSHOLERY MADE IT WHAT IT IS FUCK YOU

“It’s coming from inside the house” ah. Horror movies. Fun

Sophie’s accent is sounding very first episode Nigerian… just saying

I think this was one of the episodes that made me… meh about Parker.

NO SERIOUSLY THE ACCENT THING

I CAN’T GET PAST IT

Ah, don’t you love it when US law is so fucked up that people can openly admit to taking advantage of people in trouble and the law is just like “nice carpe dieming there! Here, have a tax break”

Honestly fuck them

“It’s all legal” YEAH BUT IT AIN’T MORAL FUCK YOU

F U C K T H E M

Ah, Nate fucking them over because he’s a DRUNK ASSHOLE

I’m not saying that Nate wanting to help more people is a bad thing but like, could he not have done that without fucking everyone over?

One of my favorite running gags is the random con names that getprogressively more and more ridiculous. ANd then only hearing enough about it to bring up MORE Questions it’s *chef kiss* perfect.

I feel like Nate was just mad he didn’t have a role to play in the con so he had to change it so he could play a character.

Why does he look like fred from scooby doo

SO not only are we getting commentary on the real estate market, but we’re also getting commentary on the health insurance industry.

Ah yes, drink while driving. That’s smart.

Ah yes, Assault by a law enforcement official. That’s smart

“Organ failure, death, death like symptoms”

I LOVE HARDISON HE’S SO SMART

I love it when Eliot says smart things and everyone looks at him like *little kid voice “wait a second…. Who ARE you?”

Eliot in scrubs is very hot.

“Death scenes can be demanding… think of a really sad thing that happened in your life like, oh, i don’t know, when your father died.” HAHAHAHAHAHA

This was one of the episodes that made me not love Parker

Eliot beating Hardison at rock paper scissors is another one of my favorite running gags

“Wow, you can tell. Dead eyes. As if there’s no soul”

See, sophie? Parker’s PERFECT casting.

The OT3 already being perfect.

Eliot just picking Parker up is amazing.

Nate is just the worst I hate him

“I ain’t your daddy”

NO BUT YOU COULD BE MINE

Me? Being a slut for Eliot? Whaaaattt??

NATE IS JUST THE WORST I HATE HIM

THIS IS WHAT HE IS LIKE DRUNK CAN WE JUST STOP PRETENDING IT’S EVER OKAY

I hate when TV shows try to pass alcoholism off as a character flaw but then forget they need to back that up so they can’t let them rehabilitate fully ever because then you have a character that’s missing his fatal flaw.

Like no, fuck that. Five them a real character flaw

And not a flaw that’s not really a flaw that you’re supposed to like them even more because of. AN ACTUAL FUCKING FLAW pLEASE

You can tell it’s Parker that walks into the bank office. Even before the flashback.

Would that work? Signing away controlling interest in the company? Would that really fuck everything over? I feel like things are much more complicated than that.

This seems so complicated and one of those solutions that you need a financial degree in order to understand so I kind of really do not like it. DO I not like it because it makes me feel stupid? Maybe? But it also seems like it shouldn’t work?

It’s one of those “That sounds fake but I don’t know enough about this to disprove it” situations.

Final thoughts: 6/10. Points for Eliot being Eliot and the OT3 being v awesome. ALSO I JUST REALIZED I DIDN’T COMMENT ON PARKER JUMPING OUT OF THE WINDOW FOR ELIOT TO CATCH HER WHICH IS A TRAVESTY SO HERE I AM. COMMENTING. Points off for Nate being the WORST. Points off for a shitty handling of alcoholism. Points off for me not understanding the ending. Extra points for a v cute client family. Extra points for Hardison being v competent. Points off because this is my blog and I don’t have to answer to you and I just found this episode meh okay?

Sam count: 3/4 BLEH

IYS count: 2/4 GOOD

[sugarydolli]

The Broken Elevator | [Soft]

Title - The Broken Elevator

Word Count - 1.9k

Pairings - Keigo Takami (Hawks) x Fem!Reader

Warnings - Break up, claustrophobia (your stuck in an elevator), Near-Death experience, Bad day?

My teacher had to read this yo.. 😰

Sorry if it's a bit blocky or weird from my normal writing style, I couldn't write it the way I wanted cause it was for school..but please enjoy 😊. Also your locked in an elevator so if that makes you uncomfy please don't read.

-

Sadly, Your day was already going south before the incident. Your car broke down on your way to work, you just realized that you put your skirt on backwards, and to put the icing on the cake a clumsy co-worker spilled hot coffee onto your new white blazer. “It's fine.” you told yourself as you walked over to the women’s bathroom before getting interrupted by the janitor. “Sorry miss,” he stood in front of the door rubbing the back of his neck. “All the bathrooms are clogged..except for the ones downstairs.” You sighed walking over to the elevator.

Reaching over to press the down button on the contraption, you hesitated. Worry filled your body, remembering all the tales you overheard your Co-workers said about it. According to them, the elevator was cursed breaking down for hours causing phobias and fears to shine through. You looked down at your shirt debating between taking the 10 flights of stairs that would for sure leave your feet swollen or the appearently cursed elevator.

Stupidly thinking your coffee stained shirt was worse than getting stuck on a elevator. Pushing down the fear bubbling in your tummy, you boarded the elevator testing your luck. Quickly pressing the button for the first floor, you waited patiently for it start. Once the sound of the elevator descending started you began to relax and the tension in the air faded. Finally hearing the ding when you reached your destinated floor you rushed over to the bathroom to clean yourself up.

After you finished cleaning up, the feeling of accomplishment waved over you for something going right today. Having no fear towards the elevator, you decide to ride again and finally start off your day on the right foot. A smile slowly spread across your delicate face as you closed your eyes and waited for the elevator to slowly ascend as it closed its doors. Until a flash of red wisped past the small creak in the door causing the doors to automatically open again. You quickly open your eyes to see your ex, Keigo, stumble through the door. Nevermind, this was officially the worst day of your life.

“Heh..Sorry-” his bright amber eyes looked up to see nothing but disgust in yours. Hawks awkwardly straightened himself out and shuffled next to you taking occasional glances. Small glimpses of your break up started to play in your mind as you stood, clouding your mind. Your tears, him walking out, the gossip among your co-workers, it was all coming back to you so suddenly it brought fresh tears to collect in on your waterline. Hawks looked down, regret stinging his face remembering the events from a few months ago.

Trapped in your thoughts you didn't notice the elevator’s sluggish pace, the machine starting to softly rattle before turning into a violent shake startling the both of you. You could hear some creaks and screeches before it proceeded to start plummeting down, a shriek escaped your mouth as large arms came around your frame and cradled you. Without thinking you held on to whatever, too scared to even open your eyes, The elevator halted right before the ground and shook once more then slowly stopping.

After a few minutes, you shifted causing Hawks to jump off you, looking away while scratching his head. Looking around at the now blinking lights you could see a panel of numbers, scooting over to them you pressed the red emergency button. The button gave a distorted ding till it completely shut down. Your next plan was your phone, moving around in your one spot to at least gain one bar of service but after a while of trying you admitted defeat.

Begrudgingly turning your head over to Keigo who was fiddling with his wings with a small blush casted onto his fair face. “We’re stuck.” you announce, slumping back onto the wall. Grief washing over you as you realized your situation. You trapped with your ex in an elevator for who knows how long. Your day went from bad to worse within minutes.

It’s been up to two hours now and it's been quiet with small talk here and there. You played on your phone for the first thirty minutes until it got down to fifteen percent, deciding it would be best if you save the battery. “Do..do you still think about...us?” Keigo asked in a meek tone than his usually laidback one. Taking a moment to respond you sighed, looking at the blonde male. “Why would I, Keigo? Why would I want to relive heartbreak over again?” He looked down, shame casted onto his face. Hawks stayed quiet for a while as you sulked in your corner.

Tears slid silently down your plush cheeks thinking about the events of your break up. “I cant do this anymore, Dove.” he whispered under his breath causing you to stop in your tracks. Keigo got up from the small chair and slid his coat on, “I'm sorry I just don't feel it anymore.” He walked out the door leaving you standing there. It took awhile to process before your knees buckled and you slowly slid down to the ground feeling as if a piece of you died that day. “If that's the case, Yes. I think about ‘us’ everyday.”

A solid hour and a half passed by and there was still silence among you two. Keigo tried to speak up multiple times but as soon as he opened his mouth it was as if the words would just disappear. You didn't move from your corner of the elevator, baskin in your sorrow and regret. Slowly though, the sorrow you felt for yourself turned into spite as time passed. Finally managing to get the words out, Keigo turned to you seeing your red eyes and tear stained cheeks. “Sorry Dove..” looking down before he continued but quickly you cut him off. “Sorry Keigo? Sorry? You think a simple apology is gonna make me feel better after months of pain? Having to listen to my co-workers gossip about how you were on some girl at the club literally DAYS after? You think a ‘Sorry’ is gonna fix it all?”

Keigo silently leaned back into the wall as you turned directly towards him and shouted. You could see regret fill his face as you went on and tears gathered up in his golden eyes which were now starting to fall. To caught up in your rant you didn't hear the elevator springs start to pop from your rapid movements, causing you to yelp a bit. Without saying another word you went back to pouting unable to meet his sorry gaze. Keigo came for his things he left at your apartment a month after he walked out, you sat on your couch in silence waiting for him to finish packing. Once he was gone you completely broke down, letting out whimpers and sobs. What happened? In the many years of your relationship Keigo never gave off that he was unhappy. You realizing it was time to move on, so you distracted yourself with work but nevertheless you still thought about him.

At this point it's been 6 hours in this closed space. But the amount of emotions going through both of you made it feel like years in this trapped space. Keigo silently weeped in his designated corner, he felt like apologizing a million times wanting to explain himself as you sat there emotionless. “I didn't wanna leave you..” he whispered gently under his breath. “Then why did you?” you didn't have the energy to look at him. Keigo gave a long sigh, feeling water build up in his eyes once again. “I didn't mean to hurt you, I just…” He paused bringing a hand to wipe his tears. “Days before, the commission found out about us..and I..I couldn't risk it,” Keigo turns to you. “I'm so sorry, Dove..”

You let a few tears slip before rotating to face him, Keigo scoots closure to you from his corner. “Why didn't you tell me?” you muttered leaning slightly. “I didn't know how to explain it..” he ran a hand through his golden locks. The elevator creaked, falling slightly causing you both to jump. You scooted a bit closer to Keigo to where you both were only a space apart still trying to take in his explanation for hurting you all those months ago. Three more hours passed making it now nine hours you’ve been trapped. In order to avoid eerie silence the two of you started to talk normally. It didn't take long before Keigo's silly nature to kick in resulting in your first genuine smile of the day.

He could feel his cheeks burning from your smile, a warm feeling filled his stomach. Without thinking he reached over and stroked the side of your face, “I still love you..Dove” Your laughter quickly died down as your face reddened. Mouth agape as you processed all the emotions at once, You went into this elevator feeling nothing but disgust and revulsion but now your heart was almost pounding out of your chest. As much as you wanted to tell yourself it was good to move on, you always knew you couldn't get over Keigo. “I-..” you looked deep into his waiting eyes, opening your mouth to respond to his confession. Suddenly, the floor beneath you shook then soon everything was starting to vibrate.

Keigo wrapped his arms around your small frame once again as you clinged to his chest. Wires started snapping from above and screeches could be heard from the walls. The room stopped vibrating for a bit allowing you guys to look around before everything started to sink. Metal scraping against each other making a horrible sound, Keigo pulled you tighter against him, tears filled your eyes starting to believe these were your last moments. Quickly making up your mind you look at him deeply, through your tears. “I love you, Keigo” you say as you tightly closed your eyes and braced yourself for impact.

Fortunately, impact never came. A small shake followed by the feeling of sinking in your stomach stopping caused you to open your eyes. The blinking light was back to its original state and the elevator dinged, opening its doors. People passed by the scene giving weird looks and stares while you both rushed out the door. Running up to the front desk, the two of you tried to make sense of what just happened. “The elevator broke down! We were in there for HOURS!” You shouted, not caring if you were slowly ruining your job reputation, Keigo also gave his side of the experience.

The assistant looked at you both questioningly then shook her head and laughed before explaining what happened. You both walked out the building in embarrassment, according to the assistant the elevator worked perfectly fine and the both of you she assumed were putting on a show. She did allow you to leave for the day and Hawks followed. “Hey..” Keigo turned to you. “I know at the time we were kinda in the middle of falling through an elevator in a dream but..” you giggled looking up at him. “If your trying to ask if I meant it, yes I do..I love you Keigo.” His amber eyes lit up, he placed his hands on your waist and pulled you forward. You leaned in to him and softly pressed your plush lips against his, Keigo’s heart swelled no longer feeling empty.

-

You and Keigo: *Dramatic getting back together love story*

Everyone else in the elevator:

[madmadmilk]

One After The One PART 1 | Tom Holland x Reader

Tinder BIO | soft TEASER | PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | >>

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Summary: What does one in a million even mean? Does it mean you’re the first of many or the fucking last? Does it mean that you’re somewhere in the middle? And what happens to the poor baby who ends up being the 999,999th one? Or worse, the one after The One? There ought to be some kind of prize for second to last, and second runner up. Especially when being #2 is your specific talent.

Warnings: Cursing, Suspicion, some Hard to Swallow Pills, and a million blurry pics

Word Count: 6.7K swipes left

Special Shoutout: Thank you @hypnotized-so-mesmerized for being a BETA for this chapter and for you lovely input!

-

“I can’t fucking believe you’ve got me fifth wheeling for this….” you sigh, as you blow strands of your hair away from your face. You walk briskly atop of the shifting sand behind your leggy friend.

All 5 foot 10 inches of her shakes with laughter as she watches you trip over yourself. She shrugs, “The more the merrier?”

You roll your eyes, resigning to a smile as she waves back for your hand to hold. You reach out and accept her offer loosely, allowing yourself to be pulled along.

“Come on, the boys are waiting.”

Right.

You watch the festival lights cast a warm glow at the edges of her silhouette. She smiles at you, bronzed, beautiful–– taken.

Over the past year, all your best friends started fucking dating each other.

Leaving you single, alone, and second best.

It wasn’t weird, it wasn’t unnatural–– but it quite literally happened over night. “This” is just your “new normal.”

You all still hung out, together, mismatched or separately. Nothing has stopped them from asking you to hang out, but there are times where you feel… The Line.

It was Common Sense tingling and telling you that certain occasions were more of a “date-night” rather than friendly get together. And the last thing you wanted to be was a cockblock to your own goddamn friends.

Like tonight, you were tagging along to the late-night-end-of-the-summer beach bar hop bash, with your two pairs of your closest friends. Sam and Ry, short for Ryan. And Liza and K, short for Erik.

Then there’s you, of course.

The three boys were waiting with drinks in hand, while you and Liza took your sweet time climbing the sandy stairs. This was the usual ritual, but you stood alone when you reached the guys. They paired off, easily, naturally, sweetly.

The vibrating radio-centric music drowned out the sounds of the lapping ocean, the conversation you walked into was near unintelligible, and the crowd was excited about something.

God, I wish that were me.

There wasn’t anything wrong with going to this year’s beach bash, as you go to it as a group every year–– it’s just that this time they were holding hands and you were holding a drink. It’s more sour than you’d like.

You were fine coming out “alone,” but who wants to be alone?

You greet one another with warm hugs and Liza immediately dives into a rant about officially moving in with K, and about how he doesn’t wanna mix his laundry with hers–– all those new domestic nuances. 

Sam rolls his eyes and exclaims, “Ry is the same fucking way–– like, it’s just cloth, babe.”

“Easy for you to say when all you wear is black––“ Ry retorts, pushing his boyfriend’s shoulder. 

Everyone starts with a snickering laugh, clinking beer bottles and recanting similar experiences.

Tonight you just don’t feel like it.

Living alone and sleeping alone is one of your specific talents. It’s been nice to have your own fucking bed, your own fucking room, your own fucking space–– all of it to just BE your own fucking self, by your fucking self. You’ve been this way for twenty-odd years now (kind of, you know what i mean). Love and friends are welcome to hang out, but at the end of the day, the place is all yours. And yours alone. That’s what home means to you.

“–– But living together hasn’t been as bad as I thought it would be,” Liza smacks her lips, looking down in short embarrassment. She leans back against K, “There are good things too.”

Sam is quick to point out their PDA, and you take another sip of your drink. You would have spoken up to contribute about your own experiences, once upon a time. But that’s a sore topic you’re not willing to relive on this breezy night.

Instead, you laugh along, crossing your arms while propping your elbow on the bar. You’ll let tonight be as rosy as it can be with no time to dwell. Your drink is near empty, consumed faster than you remember. Someone taps your shoulder.

“Hey.”

You blink dryly, resurfacing. “Hm?”

K is rubbing the side of your arm, those hazel eyes darkened in the low light. His dark brows were raised high, “You good?”

“Yeah, yeah. Of course,” you answer easily. You hold up your drink, making a smug face and down it to his bemusement. You shake the empty bottle, setting it back on the table. “Always good.”

He nods slowly, looking over at the other three still gossiping amongst themselves. You couldn’t hear their conversation, but you can only imagining Sam and Liza were poking at each other by the way that Ry was smiling.

K swings his head back to you, “Wanna dance?”

“Sure.”

And you follow him, aware that, no, he didn’t want to dance. He wanted to talk.

You walk away with him, unnoticed by the others and tracing your finger across a brick wall. He stops, leaning against it and you do too. Looking over him, neat clothes and nervous face, you raise a brow.

“Sorry––“ he starts slowly, scratching the back of his neck.

“For what?” You laugh, scrunching your brows as you nod your head to the muffled music.

“This. It’s weird, right? Us. All of us, dating. That last year we were the ones single and you were––“ he sighs, pulling his lip to the side, “Last year was totally different. And now we’re all here, still together. Together-together.”

“Mhm, it was going to happen sooner or later,” you muse. K has loved Liza since Day One. And you and him have both known it, and what it means to him now. His dreams become reality every second that passes.

“Shut up,” he swats at your arm. You see the curl of his smile behind the embarrassment, “Nah. No. But this must be awkward for you, huh?”

You shrug. “Little bit. I’ll get over it, you guys are still my friends.”

His eyes search yours for the real truth. They were all so worried that them coupling up would ruin something, between themselves and with you. Ha. You told they they were stupid for thinking that. You believe in seizing the opportunities, in taking leaps and following your partner around the world–– in theory, at least.

They confided in you individually and you told them all the same thing. Tailored to their personalities, but in the same conceptual vein. 

“If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, then at least you tried and you don't have to spend another day wondering ‘what if..?’”

And they bought it. Now, that being said, you already knew that they all fucking liked each other so–– push her and push him and push him and him, and things will fall into place.

It’s just that… the new thing is that you’re the one out out of the loop. You used to be the first to know but now you’re last to find out. And that is strange.

You’re not their number 1 anymore. And there’s nothing you can say about it.

“You’re still my best friend, got it?” K leans his shoulder on yours and you rest yourself against him too. 

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

Today, but not tomorrow.

It’s hard not to be bitter, and it’s horrible that there’s no remedy for it. FOMO is a new-age disease, after all. No science to sort it out yet, no justification to satiate it.

“So…. You talkin’ to anyone? Looking?” He asks too casually for a question he knew you hated. He bumps elbows with you and shake along with it.

“Nope,” your mouth pops at the “p.” 

He raises his brows again, and argh you hate that. There was always someone you were talking to, or someone you’ve been with. But not these days. These days you felt too tired to be someone’s ideal anything. 

“There are some cute guys around, looking at you,” his eyes twinkle a little too brightly for a straight guy with horrible taste. (Facts backed up by Sam, Ry, Liza, AND personal experience) “Plenty of fish, yeah?”

You shake your head, not interested. Sex could come and go, infatuation could come and go–– but you’re kinda tired of the short stuff.  But not exactly ready for a whole-ass relationship either. You don’t need to explain yourself–– you just know you wouldn’t last the night.

“Not in the mood,” you huff.

“Tonight,” he says suggestively, wiggling his shoulders.

You both laugh, you a little bit dryly. You try to direct his attention back to Liza and their budding romance, as the trio finds you guys again. At first they didn’t immediately stand coupled, Ry handing you a drink and Sam going to talk to K. Liza smoothed out her clothes and you all talked about some new plans. It was an honest good time. Ry spilled his drink on Sam, and complained about the laundry again–– Liza got waaaay too drunk and you and K were holding her in your arms while she staggered like Bambi.

It was nice and warm, and a lot like old times. 

I missed that.

You felt yourself smile and let loose–– not thinking of old ex’s or new flings. Just about the friends before you and how safe they made you feel, and how happy you are to see them happy. That’s love, right?

“Oh my god, look!” someone exclaimed, pointing a finger at the sky. You hear a loud clap.

As the night faded and grew colder, fireworks erupted into the sky with a loud crackle. You guys squealed and ran to the top of a sand dune, tripping and tumbling to see the dying summer sights. The fizzing calmed your calls. It’s funny how loud fiery skies filled you with the same awe every time. How it quieted you and made you feel small.

The couples soon held each other, soft embraces with their necks craned upwards. Their eyes twinkled from bursts of lights, smiling at the sharp crackles of sound.

Tonight was the one of many nights they would be able to spend in each other’s arms, so far away and close to you all at once.

This was the line you were cautious about–– you couldn’t talk to them when they were like this, out of courtesy. Out of honoring their moment.

You stood back, watching their excited faces instead of the bursting sky. You felt it. Not jealousy or bitterness, but the awful choke of curiousity and selfishness. The “what if that were me?”

It’s been a while since you’ve had arms wrap over your shoulders and kissed your hair. Enough time has passed for you to forget what that felt like. Too long? What was that like again?

The finale of fireworks struck across the inky, dark sky. You inhaled the smell of chalky smoke, tasting the salt in the air.  Lights and colors fill your eyes, unblinking.

You suck in your cheeks as it quiets and you can hear the ocean again. 

And you let yourself think, I want that again.

So with a new pulse, you went home and did the only logical thing in finding the next Love of Your Life.

You downloaded Tinder.

-

You avoided “serious” dating and being a “serious” anything to anyone, but seeing that “seriousness” in your friends made you wonder if you could be anything like them. If you were ready to open your heart to the possibility of loving and being loved.

Seriously. Sincerely. No bullshit.

This time.

At least, that’s what you told yourself as you messed around setting up a profile on Tinder. Regretfully spending way too long shuffling through old selfies that were engaging and enticing. You sigh as you pick through the lot, frustrated at the mind games that have already started.

It’s tiring.

And that’s probably why you end up cracking a few days later and end up telling Sam and Ryan. It was a short two word text, “Tinder. Help?” And you got a speedy reply from both of them (even when you knew they were most likely sat right next to each other). They were at your place in less than an hour.

Sam applauds your efforts, but is only there for moral support more or less. He’s an ace at the dating game, but has no patience to explain his ways. 

“Typical,” You and Ry hum, as Sam rifles through your pantry instead.

Ryan, quiet as he is, sat with you and looked through the photos you choose. He broke down the psychology of it all; about the aloofness and whatever–– which you understood. You need to try hard, but not look like you are. Effortlessness, funny, chic, digestible, likeable–– 

“Performative.” He says flatly, “But this is fast and simple.”

And you have to agree, looking at your phone in his hands.

You blink as you reflect.

This is so much easier in fiction, in those movies where people go on a million dates in one week and match with the hottest fucking dudes ever. Where the protagonist has the perfect amount of self-confidence to keep her moving forward, endless chances to mess up and and still get the guy… God, it’s so easy on paper. There’s no dignity to lose. But here? In the “real” world, even on an app you could delete at anytime–– to put yourself out there? Mortifying.

But, at least you’re bored enough to try.

So, what the fuck, right?

“Did you tell Liza and K yet?” 

“No, they would definitely try to set me up with someone real,” you laugh, leaning back on the couch. You wriggle your toes and tilt your head away.

Ry leans back with you with a brow raised, “Isn’t that… the point?”

Yeah, like, true. They have lots of friends they’re always trying to peddle your way, which is cool and all but… it’s a lot harder to pick and choose and ghost someone when you have mutual contacts.

He read the look on your face and nodded slowly, “Got it, got it.” He laughed to himself, perceptive and cautious. He extends his thoughts, “But you gotta tell us if you actually go and meet anyone. K would kill us if you didn’t say anything.”

“I won’t get into any trouble,” you squint, looking away from him mischievously.

“Uh-huh,” Ry affirms plainly as he swipes right on a few cute boys. 

-

Your experience with dating apps was limited–– you made a joke account a while ago and never really did much with it. Then you had a more “real” account that you never tried sincerely with. You had real people you dated at the time–– uhm. But now, now that you’re actually on here looking… it is bleak.

It’s a Saturday night and you’re winding down with a glass of wine swiping through your options. People you actually knew showed up, and you swiped that shit away so fast you almost chucked your phone with it. You flipped through people who looked fake for real, some older dudes, and plenty of people with vibes you didn’t like–– the pool is so wide you almost didn’t know where to start. And you could afford to be picky, sure. It’s just, who knew that “too many options” would actually be a problem.

You spend the next few days idling checking and chatting, not getting any viable catches. You felt like you were just peering into small windows, head in and head out. Nothing caught your attention long enough for you to want to look in further.

You even start poking at things you never wanted to acknowledge as real, like the impact of cheesy bios, and deciphering who was who in group pics, and the thrilling amount of dudes holding up fish.

Pretty wack.

You felt yourself grow tired of it again. The adrenaline was waning, burnt to the stump. Good thing you didn’t try too hard. Pfft.

You sleepily swipe away on your phone, too late into the night. You blink hard as you snuggle into your covers, muttering, 

“Just one more.”

Ah.

>>  check out the whole bio here <<

“T, 23. Friendly, neighborhood romantic,” you whisper to yourself. You crack a small smile.

After countless swipes left, and (1) accidental swipe right, you match with a blurry boy–– super sus, I know. You don’t know how it happened tbh–– there’s nothing to “look” at, but your eyes fell on this one. Maybe because you just watched “Far From Home,” and enjoyed this spidey reference. Or you’re just innately drawn to the word “romantic.” Could be either, easily.

“It’s a match!”

Shit. You mumble, your profile photos floating together. You take a second to look through his meager collection. They were all obscure and blurry and not exactly in the artsy way.

You couldn’t decipher much, only that he had fair skin (?), with dark hair and dark eyes, but even that was questionable. 

You’re pretty sure you matched with a bot or some old dude, or worse, a kid. You can hardly see his face in the pictures, blurry or cropped or covered.

Okay...

Is that his real name? Probably not. Is he actually 23? Doubt it. Is this going to go anywhere? Let’s hope not.

But whatever, it’s the first “match” that has seemed interesting in the past few days, solely on your pickiness. And this random bastards only gets you out of dumb luck.

You rub your eyes, and set down your phone, resigning to your stupidity.

You’ll deal with it in the morning.

Good night.

And the gears were set in motion as you slept.

You had a new message on tinder waiting for you, but you didn’t check the app until much later. You go through your Sunday morning routine, only opening your phone after a light breakfast and stretch. 

“Oh god,” you blink as you catch the red notification. You look around the room, preparing yourself for what could be anything. You take a deep breath and open the chat.

T: Hey

Oh. You stare at it, so bare with no personality to pick at. You wonder if you should even reply, but by the grips of boredom, you do.

You: Hey!

You set your phone down, trying to swallow the short thrill. You walk away for a moment. A reply comes within minutes.

And it’s a goddamn mess.

T: Sorry, i’ve never done this before.

Strike one. You suck in your cheeks. While you’re fairly new at this too, you… don’t know how much time you want to invest it in. Here again, you debate replying back–– but he beats you to it.

T: I’m trying to get over my ex

UHM? Strike two, you almost have to laugh. This is just testing your patience. Your jaw wriggles as you see he has more to say…

T: And you look a lot like her.

Damn. Strike three, he’s out. He’s got to know that would put anyone off, right? Why would you even admit that straight out? T? Come on, man.

You: i’m not sure if that’s a compliment or an insult.

T: it’s an apology now, i didn’t know what to say

You: you could have complimented my killer smile or the pic of me with a dog. Anything but that

T: Right, right. I’m such a dickhead. Sorry, it’s nice to meet you though.

You hold your phone away, debating whether or not you should just delete the entire goddamn thing because this was just too stupid–– but it’s Sunday morning and what do you have left to lose. 

You chew on the side of your lip, deciding to entertain “T,” but don’t spare him any soft words. You’d rather get straight to the point.

You: So… you go by “T?” And don’t have any real pics of your face? Are you even real???

T: Yeah, just private

You: kinda defeats the purpose of putting yourself out there though, right? Lol

T: It’s too easy if i put my face out there

You: oh, ha ha ha. So you’re saying you’re too hot to show your face? Love the confidence dude

And this is where you start actually laughing out loud. You wipe away tears at the side of your eyes, cackling at this display of internet confidence. It’s a tiny piece of amusement from a stranger you have 0 feelings for, and you’re not going to be mean to him… but you’ll definitely poke fun to see how far you can get.

Besides, he’s still replying back right? That’s almost hilarious in itself.

T: Hey, confidence is sexy, right?

You: yeah, more in person than online! 😂 (Laughing emoji)

You take a second to scroll back through his photos, and check to see if he has a link to instagram, twitter, anything. But he doesn’t. You try to pull up any evidence you can–– and at the very least, these blurry pics all look like they’re taken of the same person.

Slight build with dark curled hair–– rippable from any ambiguous online “hot boy” mood board though. 

You’re wary.

You spot a picture with his smile, crinkled eye and lifted lip. You could swear he looked familiar… but maybe that’s because you’ve seen that same white boy/model on Pinterest.

Maybe.

T: wanna meet up and see for yourself?

You: maybe if you show me your face first

T: can’t do that quite yet, but I’d love to keep talking to you

You furrow your brows as you read his words. He would be down to meeting up with you upfront, but hesitates to send you a picture beforehand? That’s definitely a red flag, right? Right?

(Yes. Yes it is.)

You pull yourself back and let out a deep sigh. You’re probably the only person he’s talking to, especially with those purposeful (?) blurry pics and cryptic everything. Ugh.

It’s not playing yourself if you know it’s fake right? You can step out of this at anytime.

You: as long as you can hold my attention :) 

T: I’ll try my very best ✌🏼 (peace sign emoji)

–– and with some very, very loose banter…. you end up exchanging numbers. You’ve put the whole Tinder thing on pause for now–– all four days of it. All for one stranger with no tact.

Unknown Number: hey, this is t (smiley face)

You: pfffft, I’m going to call you Blurry Boy. Since your name obviously isn’t T

BB: that’s fine with me :) mind if i call you darling?

You: ew

BB: o come on. It’s cute

You: please tell me you’re actually 23 or i swear to god I’m going to fucking lose it

BB: I swear 🤞🏼 (fingers crossed emoji)

You: ok. Prove it. Send me a pic of you–– you face or whatever

Ok. That’s a leap. He could rip a picture from anywhere but let’s see how fast he could do it. If it takes too long, then he probably did just rip it from the internet.

And if he makes a mistake and actually sends you a clear pic of himself? Well, that could only be seen as a win.

BB: 

But you are ruthless.

You: ok. Send me another one.

And he could stop if he wanted to.

Only, he doesn’t. In a short moment, he sends another picture.

BB:

Same room, same face, same glasses. I guess you could believe him… for now. No matter how shitty the photos have end up....

But he could also be one of those people with folders full of stock photos… you never know.

But putting paranoia aside, you decide to turn off the heat a lil. You grab your coffee and sit on your couch, sliding into a comfy position. You turn on some YouTube videos on your laptop, watching the first few seconds as you lean your cheek against the couch cushions.

Phew.

You: thanks…. sorry I’m so paranoid. But you truly have the worst pictures of yourself put up there. Potato quality.

BB: nah, i know. I get it. Haha it’s alright, a pretty girl like you needs to protect herself

You: oh BOY that doesn’t make me feel any better 😂(laughing emoji)

BB: fuck, sorry. Ugh that is fuckin creepy. Shit. I’m terrible at texting

You: no, no. It’s alright. Actually, great job with taking those photos so fast. Most people would have taken sooooo much longer. You get a few points for not holding back

BB: babe, i told you. I’m gorgeous. I don’t gotta worry about it 😂😂💕 (laughing emojis)

You: right, right blurry boy. Great job with all those fuzzy ass photos.  🙄 (Eye roll emoji) haha are you really looking for someone out here or…?

BB: sort of. I’m testing out the waters and… you’re really pretty

You have to blink back and roll your eye, you’re unable to digest this conversation as real. They’re flowery words given to you, for sure, but your suspicion is much stronger. Your guard will not let down or be appeased by some blurry ass dude calling you “pretty.”

He replies before you have the chance.

BB: i dont wanna get into the messy details but yeah. Company sounds great right about now

You: yeah, i feel that

It’s a real and valid reply, but it’s a terrible one. It’s so hard for someone to reply back to that–– but you’re testing his perseverance. If he finds something to say back, it might just prove one more thing to you. That he might actually be interested, and someone worth talking to.

BB: sorry i lead with my baggage, I’m a fucking mess

You: *a confident fucking mess

BB: thank you 😇 (angel emoji)

You: don’t worry about it, I’ve seen worse

 You laugh darkly to yourself. I’ve been worse.

BB: hahahaha thanks. Ok. But all that aside… real talk now. Can I ask you about the dog in your photo now?

You hate to admit that your lips curled into a smile, as you hastily type back. 

Your coffee was half drank and cold by now. The YouTube video you were supposed to be watching has moved onto part two. 

You eyes are still scanning your text screen, waiting to see those three bouncing dots at the bottom left hand corner. 

He’s not the worst–– and at most, even if this turns out to be fake, this is just your Sunday morning entertainment. Nothing more and nothing less. These are just insignificant texts that will probably lead to a few lost days, or mediocre sex at best.

So, whatever, right?

-

MONDAY MORNING

BB: good morning! ☀️ (sun emoji)

You: well you sure get up early. Good morning 

BB: Haha, I like to start the week as soon as i can. Do you drink coffee or tea in the morning?

You: coffee most days. You?

BB: i drink tea, darling

You: yeah that’s probably better for you haha. Less expensive too.

BB: mhm, definitely cheaper if you come over and i make you a cup

You: wow, the flirting starts the second the sun is up, huh?

BB: what, still too early? 

You: never too early

BB: do you brew the coffee yourself?

You: some mornings. I usually pop into XX Cafe midday if i can.

BB: catch you there? 😂 (laughing emoji) nah, i’ll have to check the place out. I don’t know this area too well.

You: i guess if you can find me! I’m usually in and out pretty fast. Got places to be you know? Hm, did you just move here?

BB: yeah, i got settled in about a week ago

You: staying long?

BB: long enough

You: oh ha ha. Seriously not suspicious at all

BB: yeah I’m in town for a month or two. I’m getting away from work and stress for a minute

You: and you chose here?

BB: quiet enough for me. 😌 (smiley face) and you’re here so that’s a plus

You: relentless

BB: and nothing less.

-

MONDAY EVENING

BB: you haven’t seen that series? You’re crazy

You: whaaat! It’s not my thing. AND i don’t have time for it

BB: it’s a masterpiece, come on! Who doesn’t like laughing? It’s funny! You’ll like it

You: you’re gonna owe me a drink if don’t like it

BB: I’ll gladly buy you one right now if that’s what it takes to get you to watch it

You: ugh, i guess if you recommend it i can tryyyy…

BB: you won’t regret it!

You: ugh you are so annoying. What are you up to right now?

BB: reading emails and talking to you

You: haha what’s so important that you’re reading an email at like 11. Gotta turn on that “do not disturb” dude

BB: I can’t mute the work stuff, unfortunately

You: so if i called you over tonight you wouldn’t be able to? “Because of work?”

BB: you serious? I’m only taking serious offers right now

You: No! It’s monday. Can’t indulge you that early in the week

BB:  what a shame. I’d drop it in a heartbeat for you

You: Nice to know 

BB: I’ve got a feeling that I shouldn’t have told you that (laughing emoji)

You:  😈 (devil emoji)

-

TUESDAY MORNING

BB: good morning!

You: hey! I remembered I had some tea back at my apartment so… just wanted to let you know you had an impact on my day 🙄😊 (eye roll emoji and smiley face emoji)

BB: I could still make a better cup for you 😘 (kissy face emoji)

You: right. What do you have planned today?

BB: hmm, I’m heading out to the gym. Then I might explore the city a bit. Bump into me?

You: well, I don’t know if I could recognize you even if i wanted to

BB: you’ll recognize me

You: haha, okay? Wait, do I know you? –– if this is a prank… 

BB: it’s not! 

You: .. that wouldn’t be cool.

BB: it’s not a prank! There’s just a lot of things I can’t tell you just yet. It’d be a lot easier if we were able to meet up in person.

You: why?

BB: I’m pretty private. It’s really hard for me to just… share certain things with you. But I want to! SO badly! I just can’t send you a whole picture of my face. It’s complicated.

You: Sorry? I don’t get it.

BB: Ahhhh. This is going to sound so bad. I trust you, like as a person. But also I can’t trust you. If you meet me–– you’ll understand why. I’m sorry. 

You: Okay…? And you have to understand that this sounds absolutely batshit to me, right? Like it’s pretty hard to trust you like this. 

BB: yeah I know. I’m sorry. I don’t blame you if you don’t believe me. But honestly, it’s nice to be able to talk to you like this and I hope we can continue to chat. I really do like you.

You: … That is really unfair.

BB: I know! I’m sorry. Give me another day or two–– i have a few things to figure out but, I SWEAR i’m not lying to you. I promise it’ll make sense soon

You: well, if you promise you’re not a creep….

BB: I’m not!

You: and that you’re not using me as a replacement for your ex

BB: I won’t!

You: you are SO lucky i’m patient

BB: and kind. And beautiful. And amazing.

You: you’re pushing it, blurry boy. I just need you to realize how unfair this is.

BB: I do. And I know. I’m sorry.

You: what are you looking for here? With me or with anyone you would have met from the app?

BB: a home away from home

You: yeah i read that in your bio. What does that mean?

BB: I’m looking for someone I can spend time with and trust with my whole heart

You: ha ha

BB: I’m serious. It’s hard to find.

You: you’re a real romantic, that’s for sure

-

TUESDAY EVENING

You: you have a DOG and you didn’t tell me?

BB: what, you’re not interested in the fact that I have younger twin brothers and another 8 years younger than me? ‘Always about Tessa

You: obviously! Send a pic!

BB: 

You: is this from right now?

BB: nah, something I took ages ago. I had to leave her back home with my family.

You: aww, that’s too bad.

BB:  would you come over if she were here?

You: Duh! And I guess you’d have to make me a cup.

BB: sounds lovely. Let’s make it a date

You: ha ha. You miss home?

BB: More than you know. I travel A LOT

You: well, call back often! They would be happy to know you miss them! Loneliness is not a great feeling.

BB: I do, all the time! And definitely not a good feeling. So, it’s really nice to talk to you. Thank you.

You: Sorry, I’m not a very great conversational partner. But still happy to hear that

BB: You are. You’re still here

You: You are too.

BB: You already mean a lot to me

You: Have you been in many relationships? (Or hookups idk)

BB: No, and not really. I’ve only been in a handful of long-term relationships

You: Interesting

BB: What?

You: Just wondering if you are really catching feelings for me

BB: Guilty. You?

You: I don’t think I know enough about you to catch anything. No offense 😬😅(cringe emoji, laughing emoji)

BB: Ha, no. I meant if you’ve been in many relationships?

You: Oh! Sorry. A few of either. Did long-term once. Didn’t work out, obviously–– so here I am. That’s that.

BB: Guess we both have a past to bury

You: Please don’t say anything about “burying yourself into my pussy to feel better”

BB: WHAT. I wasn’t even thinking about that. That’s all you 👀

You: Hey, you’ve been pretty quick all the other times, bud.

BB: If I tell you I want more than just sex, does that make you feel better?

You: It makes me think about the fact that you still want to have sex with me

BB: And I can’t deny that 😊 (smiley blushy face emoji)

-

WEDNESDAY MORNING:

BB: Good morning!

You: Morning! Little later than usual–– sleeping in?

BB: Yeah, since I can afford to. You replied quicker than usual. Were you waiting for me? 😉 (wink emoji)

You: Haha, you wish. I was already on my phone, stud.

BB: Right, right. I can tell you like to play hard to get

You: No I don’t!

BB: 😂 (laughing emoji)

You: I don’t!

BB: Wow, feels great to finally have something to hold over you 

You: I hate you 🙄 (eye roll emoji)

BB: Have a nice day, love 😊🌈(smiley face, rainbow emoji)

-

PING! 

“BB? Who is bb?” Liza asks you on Wednesday evening after seeing a notification pop up on your phone. She grabs it off the sticky cafe table and looks at you with her pretty head tilted.

Oh––

You wiggle your jaw, and raise your brows,

 “No one important.” 

You take your phone back and open the message discreetly. It’s nothing special, you’re sure, but you have to look.

BB: so have you seen the last episode yet????? Hello??

“I didn’t know you were seeing anyone!” She pleads, putting down the drink in her hands. You were at the mall, idly walking and taking a short break. She looks at you pointedly, eyes darting around your face for any spot of weakness, as she quietly whines, “You didn’t tell us anything about this…”

“It’s because I’m not––”  You offer, nodding. You flip your phone upside down as the message lights up again. “–– seeing anyone.”

She gives you a squinted look of total disbelief.

You’ve been messaging “Blurry Boy” nonstop for the past few days. First you talked about nothing, and now you’re asking each other about how your day was going and what you’re doing now, and what you’re doing later. 

You always find something. Your phone is constantly by your side, sound on.

And there’s a layer of real time now, now that you’ve gotten to know him and his schedule better.

You learn that he has his own cute dog name Tessa and that his family fosters dogs back home, and that he’s the oldest, with twin brothers and a younger one he’s been trying desperately to relate to. You find out that his favorite color is black and that he’s in deep shit for stealing his best friend’s fav hoodie. All of this makes him feel like someone you know, someone you could call a friend.

He feels like more than just some guy you’ve talked to waaaay too long from Tinder.

And what’s worse, is that he knows certain things about you too. He knows that you don’t like sleeping in the dark and that you’re borderline addicted to iced coffee. That you like rewatching old romcoms and classic spooky movies… That your back hurts from work and that you have a fucking dentist appointment on Thursday. 

You know a lot more about each other than less. And that’s kinda really fucking weird.

“You’re always smiling at your phone,” Liza says flatly, picking her drink back up to take a long and loud sip. Major side-eye. “‘Fess up.”

“No, I’m not!” You say through your teeth, trying to not smile. But under her stare you melt and crack under pressure.

You keep telling yourself that you’ll stop replying–– that he’s super sus and this isn’t going anywhere. But… you just keep texting him back.

“It’s nothing, seriously.”

“Let me see,” she pouts. “Pleeeease.” She flaps her hands at you, wriggling her fingers.

“No!”

Even though you know that it’s a losing game with her, you try to put up a fight, turning away and holding your phone tightly. You have onlookers now from the squealing, kicking and creaking chairs.

You give in after a minute.

You hand your phone in defeat as you readjust yourselves. You clear your throat.

“Okay, okay. But this is like, not serious at all, okay.” You rationalize as you show her the pictures you had screenshot and saved from him. “I barely know him.”

Barely! You’ve chanted that in your head over and over. Not enough to know if you want to get to know him, or what to drop him. That’s the purgatory you’ve been living in.

Liza is uncharacteristically quiet as she scrolls up and down the chats and flips through the pictures. Her hair covers whatever expression she’s making.

That makes you nervous, and you start babbling.

“Yeah, I mean. I don’t think he’s real or anything–– It’s just for fun and it’s whatever. I don’t even care.”

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

She freezes on a picture of him. The one where you can see a part of his smile and a crinkled eye. She zooms in and pauses again.

?

“Babe?” Her voice is cautious and slow. God. You don’t want to hear what she has to say next with this tone of voice…

“Hm?” You attempt to perk up, hiding the fact that you just gulped with nerves. It feels like you’re holding something sour in your mouth.

I don’t like this...

“So, he seems like a super nice guy and all but…” She speaks gingerly and wide eyed.

“But what?” You feel yourself recoil. 

As much as you talk a big game… it would still hurt to have this illusion shattered. This self-inflicted fantasy. You don’t want her to keep going. 

But you can guess what’s coming next.

...

“I… I think he’s using pictures of Tom Holland.”

…

…

…

Wait…...

What?!

-

A.N: WAH! she’s back!! well, as much as she can be. haha i know i have a million things always running at the same time but... i really will just ride the wave of inspiration as it comes.... that’s all i can do. anyway, hope you like this series! it’s going to be an exploration of starting new relationships in your young adulthood–– and how to handle be “The one” after “The One.” it’ll be a good time.

Thank you guys for reading! Please like, comment and reblog :) You’re all amazing. 

Much Love,

Madmadmilk 💫

** i do NOT keep up with a taglist. track #one after the one to keep up with the updates, or check out my masterlist! thanks! 

[drariellevalentine]

Medically Inevitable

Meet Our Mc- Arielle Valentine

(This is after Chapter 7)

Name:- Arielle Cerise Valentine/Raines (professionally known as Dr. Arielle Valentine, celebrity-wise as Arielle Raines)

Birthday:- June 5th, 1995 (Age-25)

Zodiac Sign:- Gemini

Face Claim:- Nina Dobrev

Background:- Part Italian and French

Education:- Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Main Profession:- Intern at Edenbrook Hospital, residency of Internal Medicine

Side Professions:-

Actress- Played a leading role in a medical drama during high school

Model- Models her sister-in-law’s clothing lines whenever she can

Influencer- Has over 40 million followers on Instagram, posts about her daily life

Singer- Has sung and posted on YouTube with female icons like Ariana Grande, makes a guest appearance in some of her MV’s. (Don’t worry, you’ll see how later!)

Nicknames:-

Rookie (Ethan)

Ari (Elijah & Sienna)

Elle (Bryce)

Sunshine (Naveen)

Cherry (Mark & Adrian)

Family:

Adrian Raines

Brother

Age- 31

Background- Italian and French

Profession- co-owner of Carson & Raines and Criminal Defence Attorney

Married to Alyssa, father to Arabelle

Relationship- Extremely close with each other. Whether it’s personal problems or work issues, he’s the first person who Arielle turns to for advice. He would do anything for his sister, and so would she.

Alyssa Raines

Sister-in-law

Background- American

Age- 28

Profession- CEO and Head Designer of Fashion Empire ‘Flair’

Married to Adrian, mother to Arabelle

Relationship- Very close to each other, Arielle considers Alyssa as her older sister. Lived with each other for two years when Arielle was in med school. Later, Alyssa moved in with Adrian as her company expanded and Arielle bought her own apartment.

Arabelle Raines

Niece

Age-5

Background- Part American, French & Italian

Nickname- Belle (everyone)/Amorina (Arielle-means little love)

Relationship- Arielle’s and Arabelle’s relationship is one of a kind. Both of them love each other so much, Arielle looks at her like own daughter. Alyssa jokes that her daughter is very lucky, not because they are well-off, but that she has two amazing moms. Arielle loves to spoil her, but makes sure she learns the importance for everything.

Mark Raines

Cousin- (Arielle’s father’s brother’s son)

Profession- Professional chef, owner of several restaurants and chains in various areas

Age-31 (older by four months from Adrian)

Background- Italian

Boyfriend to Blair

Relationship- This pair is very notorious and well-known in the family for their prank wars from a very young age. They still play pranks on each other, but not as much. Once Mark learned that Arielle’s middle name stood for cherries, and she just happened to be snacking on them at that time, he gave her the nickname ‘Cherry’, which caught on to Adrian.

Blair Carson:-

Best friend/cousin’s girlfriend

Profession- co-owner of Carson and Raines (Blair’s and Arielle’s father originally founded the law firm. Two years ago, Blair’s father died and she took over his position) and Women’s Rights Attorney

Age-26

Background- British

Girlfriend to Mark

Relationship- These girls have been joined to the hip at a very young age, due to the fact that Blair was left at Arielle’s house when both their fathers had to work. Their emotional bond and connection only increased when Blair’s mother died when she was 3, as they both relate to never have had a mother’s love.

Amelié Valentine:-

Late mother

Professional singer/pianist

Background- French

Relationship- Amelié died just a day after Arielle was born. Though, all of her family members say that Arielle is a striking image of her mother. They share the same vivid violet eyes, perfectly pink lips and numerous other resemblances. Naveen is the one who told stories about her to Arielle.

Alessandro Raines:-

Father, although not on speaking terms

Profession- Retired, co-owner of Carson & Raines (multinational law firm)

Background- Italian

Relationship- Arielle and her father have not been on speaking terms for 7 years since their huge fight on her 18th birthday. Although she was not close with her father during her teenage years, they were quite close during her childhood.

Naveen Banerji:-

Godfather, although Arielle considers him as her actual father

Profession- Retired, former Head of Diagnostics Team, Edenbrook Hospital

Background- Indian

Relationship- Naveen and Arielle were like father and daughter until her second year of med school. He taught her everything there is to know about life, love, and laughter. The two are slowly mending their broken bond, even though their love and affection for each other has never diminished.

Bennet Wilson:-

Ex-boyfriend

Profession- Neurosurgical Intern at Mass Kenmore

Age- 27

Background- British

Relationship- The pair met at Johns Hopkins, Bennet was in his 2nd year and Arielle just started. They graduated at the same time, as Arielle completed her education in only 6 years. The pair went to great heights with their relationship, made it official for almost 4 years and Bennet was also planning to propose later that year. Then he learned that Arielle had gotten matched with Edenbrook, as she wanted to work with her medical hero and inspiration, Dr. Ethan Ramsey. But he hadn’t, he was extremely disappointed as Dr. Harper Emery was the main reason he had gotten into neurosurgery. This lead to huge fights and disagreements, leading to Bennet cheating on Arielle with her best friend. The pair broke up three months before the start of their residency.

A to Z with Arielle

A is for Actress

Arielle is known for playing a leading role in a medical drama during high school. She plays a young paediatrician on the show, and is known very well for handling kids on set. The cast would joke about her being an actress and babysitter at the same time!

B is for Blush☺️

If there’s one one makeup product Arielle never needs, it’s blush. She blushes quite easily and sometimes for no reason (according to herself), though I’m sure you know why!😏

It also is her favourite colour. Her bedroom, from top to bottom, is a picture perfect aesthetic of the colour blush, with hints of gold and a shimmery pearl. Fun fact, Arielle painted her bedroom herself and chose all the furniture and decor with Alyssa. She wants her room to be perfect, as it’s home and should be a place of comfort and solace at the end of her tiring shifts.

C is for Chocolate🍫& Cerise🍒

Chocolate- Arielle absolutely loves and adores chocolate. She cannot go a day without eating something which has chocolate, claiming that instead of coffee, she prefers a sugar rush. She jokes that her first love wasn’t Bennet, but chocolate.

Cerise- ‘Cerise’ is the French word for cherries. Her mother named her ‘Cerise’ because the moment she was born, her lips were cherry red (after that they weren’t though) and her main pregnancy cravings her cherries. Fun fact, Arielle hates maraschino cherries and anything cherry flavoured. She only likes juicy, fresh cherries.

D is for Dance💃🏻

Dance- Arielle loves to dance, whether it’s under the stars swaying or learning BLACKPINK’s new dance from their MV’s. She is quite flexible, and has been dancing from a very young age. Arielle also dances as exercise, saying that it’s a fun way to keep your body fit, while at the same time jamming out to your favourite tunes.

E is for Exercise

Exercise- This is something that is really important to Arielle, especially since she gained a bit of weight when she was 12 or 13. Since that, Naveen had taught her healthy ways to watch her diet and to easily exercise. Arielle says that her yoga sessions with him were one of the best, and she still continues till today. She is never embarrassed about her weight when she was young, and actually has talked about it on some of her guest appearances on shows and her Instagram. Moreover, she loves to encourage and motivate people to lead a healthy lifestyle. She isn’t much of a fan of sports but is a great swimmer.

F is for Fame

Fame- Arielle is known for many things, being a top influencer, an actress, a model, an icon for fashion and her beautiful voice. One of the things that fans like about her is she is very down-to-earth and never hides away about the problems she’s going through. Also, fans like that she doesn’t advertise different brands or products, nor always posts with a full face of makeup.

G is for Gelato

Being part Italian, it’s only fair that Arielle’s love for gelato is real. She prefers gelato rather than ice cream, although that doesn’t stop her from binge-watching and finishing a tub of rocky road with her friends.

H is for Helpful

Arielle loves being helpful. She goes to great lengths to provide care for her patients. When a friend’s in trouble, they always know that they can count on Arielle for helping them.

I is for Instruments

Arielle learned to play the piano at a very young age, as for singing, it was something that just came naturally to her. She later learned to play the guitar, but not as well. She was classically trained for 10 years on the piano, before she stopped and only learned her favourite tunes.

J is for Jewels

Arielle does love a little bling now and then, and treats herself to a few accessories sometimes. Her family members, who know this, love to gift her with a pair of earrings on a special occasion. She also spares no expense in picking out something for her loved ones. But any accessory she picks always has a meaning to it.

K is for Kids

Arielle is a natural with kids, she absolutely adores them having a niece of her own. The funny thing is Arielle was the one who cried when she found out that she was going to be an aunt. Alyssa shed a few tears at first, later full on sobbing because of the hormones.

She always keeps her pockets full of candy, and always keeps a stash in her locker. She loves handing out candy or even sing whenever she gets a younger patient. In addition to that, she loves going to the paediatric ward and giving everyone a little something.

L is for Looks

Although Arielle doesn’t believe in covering her face full of makeup, she always makes sure that she’s dressed to the nines for every occasion. Her style is quite feminine and flirty, though she does like to rock some badass outfits.

M is for Medical Hero

There’s no doubt that Naveen was her main inspiration to become a doctor. But later on, the person who inspired her that she could be able to make a difference in people’s lives was Dr. Ethan Ramsey. After she met him once when Naveen had taken her to one of Edenbrook’s charity galas, she was even more inspired and in awe.

N is for New York

Arielle was born and brought up in New York City, New York. Although having lived there for most of her life, many people don’t believe her due to the fact of her very kind and affectionate personality.

Being a true New Yorker, she loves going there once in a year or two. She’s been to Central Park, Times Square and the Statue of Liberty many times, she doesn’t remember.

O is for Optimistic

One of the things about Arielle is that she’s very optimistic, and always sees the good in everyone. Being optimistic for a person for someone like Arielle is a huge challenge, especially when having been through so many traumatic events. But Arielle likes to see the positive side of things. She believes that if she always focuses on the negative, she’ll miss out on life. Although,sometimes her sunny optimism can lead her into trouble.

P is for Protection & Polyglot

Ever since being kidnapped during the second year of med school, due to the fact her brother was dealing with a very high profile case, she vowed to make sure she knew how to handle a gun. She currently owns 3. One near her nightstand, one in her car, and another extra just in case she goes out somewhere. Nonetheless, she has been learning self-defence for quite a while. Though she doesn’t like hurting people, she admits that it always provides a feeling of security.

Arielle is very fluent in English, French and Italian. She can understand and converse in Spanish and Hindi, Naveen having taught her. Surprisingly, her desi accent is quite on point!

Q is for Class Queen

Arielle here was the Class Queen in college. Working very hard to ace all her classes, she still managed to find time a create a social status for herself. She was known as the Center of Attention because of her background, even though she is kind and affectionate.

She later on earned a name, Triple Threat. This was given when she completely roasted one of her bitchy classmates. Also, she was known as the Heartbreaker among the boys.

R is for Relationships

Arielle dated one of her co-stars when she was acting in high school. It later ended in a mutual breakup, saying that they both wanted different things in life but are still friends. Currently, he is now one of the most top paid actors.

Her fist love was Bennet Wilson, which ended 7 years later very horribly. Though she says that being in that relationship had taught her something, “If you have worked hard to earn your place where you are right now, no one, and I mean absolutely no one should have the right to tell you what to do.”

Her friendship with Dr. Ethan Ramsey is quite close, but it might turn into something more... although both of them are completely unaware, except for their best friends, Sienna and Naveen.

S is for Singer

Arielle has an exceptional voice, she can sing quite high and belt out quite a few notes. Her meeting with Ariana led to both of them being huge friends. They have filmed and uploaded a few videos of them on YouTube. Some of them duets on Ariana’s songs and a lot of other crazy battles. The fans absolutely love the friendship between these two icons, especially when both of their personalities and dynamics match!

Arielle loves to sing, she says that it’s a way to express yourself and what you’re feeling. She sings when she’s happy, sad, angry, and somehow manages to beautifully showcase her emotions in every song she sings.

T is for Traditions

The Raines’ family have quite a bit of traditions. Every Christmas, they all make different types of hand-rolled pasta as a family. They all play Secret Santa, although everyone ends up getting a gift for everyone. Arielle is very particular when it comes to gifts, she doesn’t care about the price, she always takes a long time choosing something that is meaningful and personal. Another tradition is going on a huge shopping spree and picking out tons of clothes for children, then donating them to orphanages, along with small gifts.

One of Arielle’s favourites is the feast they make for Thanksgiving. Between Mark and Naveen, with a little help from others, the food they end of making is delicious, even if somehow Arielle’s the only one ending up looking like she just played the ‘Eat it or Wear it Challenge”!

For New Year’s, they all share their achievements and regrets by writing them on a paper, and then folding them into a boat, they let them go at the lake near Naveen’s house.

Even though Naveen is the only one who is Indian, the whole family celebrates Diwali together. Naveen picks out a dresses and outfits for every single person, with Alyssa’s approval of course, and somehow manages to make mountainloads of desserts.

U is for Unwind

When Arielle has time to unwind, she has a lot of methods. When she’s alone and it’s a beautiful summer day, she goes for a long swim. If it’s a day off with her friends, she loves to indulge in self-care, making a whole spa day at home. And last but not least, Arielle loves to colour. Some might find it childish, but she loves to pair colours with each other. Playing a list of soothing tunes, she finds solace.

V is for Vegan

Vegan- Arielle cannot imagine being vegan for even one meal. She’s a huge fan of seafood and meat, but doesn’t eat much red meat, and has a crazy love for cheese. Her friends joke about her eating so much cheese, but still staying so fit.

W is for Watch

Arielle loves to wear watches as part of her accessories. Although she has many watches, she never uses them to tell the time, mostly only as a fashion statement. She doesn’t like to wear them to work, because then she’ll be checking the time every five minutes!

Y is for Youngest

Arielle is the youngest in her whole family, excluding Arabelle of course. But oftentimes, Arielle’s the one handing out advice and hosting get togethers. She’s never been seen as the youngest and everyone in the family has a huge level of respect for her, especially after what she’s been through.

Z is for Zealous

If you asked anybody who knows Arielle and ask them to describe her in 10 words, zealous or determined would definitely be one of them. Her zeal and perseverance is one of her main factors what got her this far in life, and it will continue carrying her through life.

[illfoandillfie]

5 Simple Rules For A Successful Fake Relationship: The Perfect Date

5 SIMPLE RULES MASTERLIST

Pairing: Ben Hardy x Reader

Summery: There's trouble in paradise for you and Ben but will the distance bring about some revelations? And what does it mean for your romantic reunion?

Warnings: The usual fairly innocent stuff, some swearing and drinking and mentions of smoking, but with the additions of PDAs out the wazoo, public make out, private make out.

Words: 8093

A/N: Things get a lil spicy in this one! Small disclaimer that I don’t drink so I have no idea what wine does to someone, or two someones who split a bottle. Also just another reminder that this was in no way inspired by rumours regarding Ben’s rl relationship with Olivia Cooke. I believe they’re legit, and I will not engage with anyone about that topic. 

Taglist:  @laedymoon  @dtfrogertaylor  @vee-ndetta @atomic-watermelon @kellypenac @labessieisallama @deakyclicks @jennyggggrrr @drowseoftaylor  @hannafuckingsucks  @i-cant-hangout-im-drumming @queenmylovely @supersonicfreddie @tenement-funstah

@coni-martina @johndeaconshands @hardforbenhardy @cubedtriangle​ @vicouscirce​ @arianabrashierstuff​

You headed straight to the bathroom and threw up. Ben had called twice on your way home, but you’d let it go to voicemail, not ready to hear him admonish you for eavesdropping on him or to be asked if you felt the same. You supposed it was adrenaline or something that was making you feel nauseous. Of course, you’d have to talk to him eventually, at least to apologise for going so off book, but it could wait until you weren’t feeling so miserable. With teary eyes, you made your way to the kitchen, grabbed a drink to help settle your stomach, and then flopped onto the couch to flick through TV channels until you found something distracting enough. Your phone rang again but when you glanced at the screen it wasn’t Ben’s name you saw. “Mary?” If she heard any evidence of your distress in your voice she didn’t mention it, “Brilliant performance Y/N. The video was tweeted out about ten minutes after you left the restaurant and it’s already been shared more than you’d believe.” “Oh, that’s good.” “Better than good. People are eating it up. There’ll be articles tomorrow predicting your breakup and not just the ones we’ve organised. We’re going to ask that you and Ben refrain from seeing each other in public for the next two weeks or so, make it look like you’re taking some time apart. That’ll give the video plenty of time to circulate and allow us to get out a few variations of the trouble in paradise story. Of course, you’re free to visit each other and speak over the phone but be wary in case other paparazzi start following you in addition to the one’s we’ve hired. Chances are more people will be looking to scoop the official breakup story if all goes as well as these early numbers indicate it will. Then we’ll hit them with the romantic makeup dinner at Boucher. And after that it’s back to playing the happy couple. Of course there’ll be the press junket and premiere in a couple of months’ time and then we can break you up for good.” She kept talking about plans for he press tour, something about flights and hotels, but you stopped paying attention, already getting twitter open and searching for the video. It didn’t take long to find it, the caption proclaiming he who’d caught the footage had noticed you and Ben arrive and had pulled out his camera as soon as he realised things weren’t particularly happy. “Sorry, Mary, I’m gonna have to call you back.” “Everything alright?” “Yeah, just a small mishap with the washing machine. I’ll talk to you later.” As soon as she was gone you pressed play on the video. Filmed from a table to the left of yours and slightly behind your shoulder, the phone tipped at an angle so it wouldn’t be spotted. Your heart pounded as you watched. It was all there, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife as Ben tried to draw you into conversation. You heard the bite in your tone, the confusion in his. And you saw what you’d not noticed in the moment. The way his face fell when you said it was too much. The way his nails dug into his palm as he clutched his fork so tightly. The hurt on his face when you called him clingy and needy. He stood up as you walked away but he didn’t follow, just dragged his hand through his hair and then sat down heavily, worrying at his thumbnail with his teeth. The waiter came over, presumably with the bill but the video cut out before anything more was said. They’d got what they wanted. They didn’t need the aftermath.

The next day there was an unexpected knock on your door. You put down your phone where you were watching the video again and peeked out the window, worried that it was Ben come to confront you. Instead you saw Felicity raise her fist and knock again. “I saw the video,” was the first thing she said when you let her in, “are you okay?” “I wish people would stop asking me that. I’m fine.” “You had a straight up cat fight in the middle of a restaurant, and there are paparazzi practically camping in your front yard, you’re not fine.” “Okay, maybe not fine fine. But it’s whatever. How many are out there?” “Three. But what happened? Last week you told me you weren’t going to break up.” “We haven’t broken up.” “Well then what was that?” “I don’t know. It’s been building for a bit I guess. He’s just more serious about it all than I am.” “So I heard. Are you sure you aren’t just panicking?” “Panicking about what?” “Well, y’know, you’ve been in the tabloids a bit lately. That must put a strain on things. Maybe you just got a little freaked out by it and pushed Ben away rather than let yourself be vulnerable,” “What are you my shrink?” “Hey, I’m just trying to help.” “Yeah well, you’re wrong. The paps are kind of annoying but they aren’t the problem. The problem…” you took a breath as you considered what was safe to say, “the problem is that Ben has been on a different page to me for a while now. I think we both just need some space.” “Okay, if that’s what you want to go with,” she clearly didn’t believe you, “Have you talked to him about it?” “Not yet. Figured I’d call back sometime today when my head was clearer.” She nodded, “Well, I’m here for you. Whatever you need. Moral support when you call him or someone to bitch to afterwards or just somebody to get drunk with.” She pulled you into a hug, squeezing you tight and for a moment you felt like you might cry. All you could think about was Ben’s expression when you walked out, how wounded he looked.

Felicity stayed with you for the rest of the day which was good because her presence stopped you from doing nothing but watching the video over and over again. As it was you found it hard to keep yourself from looking at the comments people left on it. A lot of people took Ben’s side, calling you a bitch or worse, sometimes even direct messaging you their opinions. But there were also those lampooning Ben for smothering you, some going so far as to claim they were early signs of manipulative and controlling tendencies and that he deserved the public humiliation of it all. Those were the comments that made you feel worst. Being called a cunt you could deal with. Being told Ben deserved better you could easily deal with. But seeing such horrible suggestions of Ben being thrown about made your heart ache. He wasn’t mean or manipulative. He’d been nothing but kind to everyone on set and especially to you. Any lingering annoyance that hadn’t left you along with the little you’d eaten seemed to melt away, leaving you feeling cold at the thought of what you’d said. Yes he’d been stupid and selfish to agree to pretend to date you when he actually had a crush on you. But not once had he tried to wheedle a confession of love from you, not once had he pushed himself onto you. He’d always been respectful of your boundaries, warned you before he kissed you, asked if you wanted to share a blanket rather than just assume you did. Even your rules he’d mostly stuck to. The one exception being the cutesy nickname, but you’d never put up much of a fight with that. You only knew that he felt something for you because you’d listened in to a private conversation. And really, could you blame him for developing feelings? You’d literally been cast as lovers because you had good chemistry and then you’d spent weeks getting even closer, made all the more necessary by your fake romance. He was hardly the first person in history to have his on-screen feelings transfer to real life. And surely, if he’d decided to tell his friend everything, even after signing contractual documents about keeping it secret, then he must be serious about you, about how much he liked you. Maybe you had it wrong. Maybe there was something there you hadn’t consi-. “Stop wallowing,” Felicities voice cut through your thoughts, “Put the phone down and stop thinking about Ben for five minutes.” You shook your head to clear it, “I’m not wallowing.” “Are you on twitter right now?” “Maybe,” “You’re wallowing. C’mon, give me the phone.” She held out her hand, giving you had no choice but to hand it over. “Has anyone ever told you you’d make a good teacher,” “Once or twice. You can have this,” she brandished your phone at you and then shoved it into her bag, “back when you’re ready to call Ben. Until then we are getting out of the house.” “Out of the house where?” you asked, letting her pull you from your seat. “Just out. You need some fresh air. Go on, get your shoes.” “Alright, alright, I’m going,” you said, with the first genuine chuckle you’d had in days.

You ended up at the park a street over, sitting on a bench overlooking the duckpond. One or two of the photographers followed you, but they were easy to ignore. As soon as you stopped moving your mind was back on the previous night, but Felicity must have sensed as much for she quickly blurted out a fun fact about ducks to distract you. For the rest of the time you were there she kept your mind on other things. She gave you an extended rundown on all the gossip from her workplace. It didn’t matter that you didn’t know who Derick was, you soon heard all about his tryst with the copy boy, and when you asked if the Susie M who was mentioned was the same Susie M that made out with the boss at last year’s Christmas party you heard all about the fallout from her drunk misstep. Felicity led you on a stroll around the pond as you laughed at her stories and filled her in on what you were hoping your next role would be. “I’ve been sent a couple of interesting scripts. There’s one for a sci fi time travel thing which I’m hoping to get a call back for. And there was one for a comedy about a coven of witches causing mayhem with their potions. I’m only about halfway through the script but I’d happily play any of the three lead witches, so I think I’ll have a crack at it.” “They both sound really good. Different to your last role.” “Yeah. Different’s good though.” Eventually you wound your way towards a small coffee shop opposite the far side of the park. The slice of apple tea cake you ordered was the first food you’d eaten since the few bites at dinner and Felicity didn’t let you leave until you’d finished it, though she was subtle in her insistence. When you put your fork down with food still left on the plate she ordered a second coffee for each of you which gave you little to do but keep eating. You thanked her after but she pretended not to know what you were talking about. It wasn’t until you got home again that she returned your phone. “You should call Ben,” “Do I have to?” “Stop pouting and do it. You’re cute together and you obviously love him. Just suck it up and talk to him.” You let out a heavy sigh and then took the phone back, refraining from rolling your eyes at how wrong she was about your feelings.

You headed out onto the back patio and, with some slight trepidation, called Ben. The call rang out. With a frown you headed back inside only to be greeted by Felicity making chicken noises. “I didn’t chicken out, he just didn’t pick up. He must be busy.” “Or he’s upset. Call back. You can come in after he’s not picked up three times or you’ve had a chat.” “Okay, I’ll try again, jeez,” you went back outside and shut the door behind you. Your second attempt was as unsuccessful as your first and you were just about to hang up on the third try when he picked up. “Hello?” “Hi Ben,” “Y/N,” there was none of the joy in his voice that usually accompanied your name. “Can we talk, is now a good time?” “Yeah,” “Okay, I just, uh, I wasn’t sure since you didn’t pick up straight away.” “Well I wouldn’t want to come across as more needy than I already do.” “I shouldn’t have said that,” you leaned against the wall of the house in the same spot you’d seen Ben lean countless times after you’d told him he couldn’t smoke inside, “I’m so so sorry about everything I said.” “It’s not what you said, Y/N. I get it, we had to fight and you let loose. From an acting perspective I’m actually really fucking impressed. I, uh, I might have watched the video when I got home, just once, and it looks legit. Like, that line about pretending to love me as much as I do you.” You held your breath, waiting for him to ask how you knew. “I mean, that’s exactly what we were going for anyway, just without the details of not having met each other’s families. Everyone still heard us argue about moving at different paces and it was some really great improvisation.” “You think so?” “Yeah absolutely. I don’t think I could have come up with a line like that on the fly. Seriously, if we were allowed to tell people it was fake, that would have fit well on your audition reel.” “So you’re not upset with me?” There was a pause as Ben thought about his next words. “Not upset exactly. Like I said, I get that it was a scene. But the way you sounded when you called me clingy….it was pretty clear there were some real feelings in there too and I,” Ben sighed, “I just wish you’d talk to me about how you were feeling beforehand.” “I didn’t really know how.” “But if I’d known that I was making you uncomfortable or coming across as clingy I would have pulled back. I could have texted less or crashed at your place less often. Not insisted on buying you books on our fake dates.” You scuffed your foot against the ground, not sure whether to come clean about overhearing him. You’d expected Ben to have realised by now that you knew, not to take what you’d said as some incredible performance. “I know I got kinda caught up in it all though,” he said before you could summon the courage to admit anything, “I, um, I really like…” You could feel your heart racing, convinced he was about to confess his feelings for you, completely unsure how to react. “…being someone’s boyfriend.” “Oh,” Why was he so determined to surprise you? Why did you feel disappointed? “It suits me. I like having someone to dote on and take care of and talk to and I guess it’s been a while since I properly, seriously dated anyone. I feel like I’ve got all this boyfriend energy stored up and nowhere for it to go. It comes in handy when we’re pretending to be on a date or whatever but sometimes it slips out when we’re just hanging out as friends, without the cameras and all that. Which isn’t an excuse or anything, I’m not trying to undermine any discomfort you felt.” “No, I get it.” “You do?” “Yeah. I mean, we said it was a weird situation right back when it was first pitched to us. That hasn’t really changed, has it?” “No,” he said with a small, soft chuckle, “still weird.” “Exactly. And sometimes I think it can be kind of confusing.” “Confusing?” You had a sudden mental image of a dog with pricked up ears, “Confusing’s maybe the wrong word. Hard to keep up with is I guess what I’m trying to say. It’s different to acting in love with someone on a movie because on a movie there’s a definite time span. The director calls cut and you can stop pretending. But we don’t get that cut. Even when there’s no cameras we’re still faking it for the people we know and anyone who might see us,” you glanced inside to make sure Felicity wasn’t listening in. “Do you think that’s why you didn’t know how to talk to me? Because there’s no clear line between Y/N and Ben as friends and Y/N and Ben as a couple.” “Maybe,” you shrugged, “I don’t think it helps.” “Yeah. It’s like, obviously there are times when we have to be all coupley and I guess it gets hard to say when something is uncomfortable because then it’s like what about next time we’re out and we have to do that thing anyway. And there are things I’m happy to do with my friends that I don’t think twice about but might carry extra meaning in our situation.” “Exactly. I don’t want to say I don’t like something and make you feel bad when we then have to do it because people are watching.” “So what are you suggesting then?” “Well, we aren’t allowed to see each other in public for a couple of weeks now, right? So maybe this could be a chance for us to take a break. Not in a completely cut off way, I still wanna talk to you and stuff. But if we give ourselves some space, y’know. Try and shake….excess feelings a-and work out our boundaries better.” “Sure, yeah, I can see how that would help.” “It’s just a couple of weeks and like we can still text or call or whatever we just wouldn’t hang out together and it wouldn’t be every day.” “Y/N, I get it. It’s a good idea.” You took a deep breath, “Okay. Cool. Um, so we’re good?” “Of course we are. I-” Ben seemed to stop himself from saying something, instead sighing, “We’re good,” “Good.” There was nothing else to stay but you didn’t want to hang up. Neither did Ben, it seemed, both of you just standing in silence. You could hear faint music playing on his end, like it was coming from another room. Maybe he was in his kitchen, leaning against the bench, the radio on in the next room over. Or maybe he was sitting on his couch, the TV down low so the repetitive game music wouldn’t disturb your conversation. You could see him so clearly, sitting in his usual seat, controller abandoned beside him. You wondered if he could tell where you were. “I guess I should go then,” He said softly, “I’ll talk to you soon.” “Bye Ben,” “Bye cud- Y/N.”

“How’d it go?” Felicity asked when you came back inside. “Alright. We’re gonna take a break from seeing each other so much and sort out how we feel and stuff.” “That sounds good,” “Yeah,” you felt relieved at having had the conversation but it was mixed with a weird sadness you couldn’t put your finger on, making you feel vaguely like you wanted to be sick again. “Why don’t you go lie down for a bit. I’ll hang out and then tonight we can order pizza and watch cat videos or vine compilations or something dumb like that.” “You don’t have to stay, I’m fine.” “Hun, I’m staying. Maybe I’ll take a run to the shop, pick up some ice cream and booze and face masks. Sound fun?” “Definitely,” “Alrighty then, it’s a plan.” You felt slightly cheered by the thought as you made your way to your room and fell onto the bed, not bothering to change or move the covers, but it didn’t stop room from blurring with tears as soon as you were alone.

Keeping the distance between you and Ben was a mixed bag. On one hand not seeing each other meant there was no lingering pressure of another date or photo opportunity weighing on you. But on the other it also meant a queue of TV shows you felt unable to watch since you’d started them together. You didn’t have to worry that Ben would suddenly call you or rock up on your doorstep, unable to keep his affections to himself any longer. But you also missed out on random messages asking if you could remember that song (“you know the one it was from the early 2000s. Went something like…,”) or the way he’d chuck popcorn at you from the other side of the couch until you managed to catch some in your mouth. It gave you a chance to relax without worrying you were leading him on, or that you’d say the wrong thing, or that the rules you’d come up with would be broken. But that was because you barely spoke to him. Your communication was kept to text messages whenever something big happened and not much more. Ben sent you a message when he got a call back for one of the movies he’d auditioned for. You texted him when your neighbour’s dog had puppies, partly because they’d asked if you knew anyone who could adopt one when it was a little bigger, but partly because the second you saw the babies you thought of how much he’d love them. And yes, you were sleeping better without so much pressure and anxiety, but it hadn’t stopped Ben from appearing in your dreams and even daydreams, explicitly so more often than you were willing to admit. Then of course there was the bombardment of emails from family and friends checking in on you after they’d seen the video. It got so out of hand you’d had to make a rare post on your private Facebook account letting them know things were fine, just to get them to stop harassing you. But you couldn’t stop the harassment you were getting from strangers on all your other social media pages. You got into the bad habit of checking all the big gossip mag websites for  stories about you, following them with as much fervour as any fan might. Ben must have had some paparazzi taking up residence on his street too because you saw countless pictures of Ben going about his day – out with friends, walking to Tesco, smoking outside a pub. And every time there was some story attached either about how heartbroken he was or about how he was sneaking off to meet you in private. You coped the same treatment, though sometimes with the added twist of announcing you were pregnant. All it did was make you wish you could have a hug from Ben and talk about it with him. You came very close to buying a pack of cigarettes one day, just so you could burn one and have its scent linger around your house like Ben had brought it in with him. Felicity was brilliant. She found amusement in the unfamiliar photographers, especially when an article appeared with photos of you and her hugging on your doorstep, speculating you’d moved on from Ben already. It wasn’t so surprising that she’d snuck her way into the magazines she so loved to read considering she checked in on you a lot in the first few days. But, as much as you loved her, and as much as she made you laugh, she had her own job and partner to think about and she couldn’t quite grasp what was happening the same way Ben could have. You missed him more than you thought you would, even with all the baggage from his unrequited crush. So much so that the realisation your makeup date was approaching had you grinning as you made your morning coffee, humming the song from his mug.

It was a surprise, though not an unpleasant one, to hear your phone ringing at close to nine the night before the date. You were sitting in bed playing solitaire on your laptop when your ringtone interrupted. Ben was apologetic as he greeted you, repeatedly saying sorry for calling at all. “It’s okay Ben, I really don’t mind.” You said, putting the laptop aside and relaxing back against the pillows. “Are you sure? I should have just emailed you.” “Ben, stop. I’m glad you called. I’ve missed hearing your voice.” “You have?” “Of course I have. I spent two and a bit months doing nothing but listen to you blab, you really think I’d just forget you?” You could hear his smile when he continued, “I’ve missed talking to you too. I figured this would be a good excuse.” “This being?” “Tomorrow night. Peter said he’d send you the info.” “Of course, yeah I got his email. Tomorrow night, meeting at Boucher at seven.” “Yup, that’s the info.” “I was told to dress up and be prepared to smooch.” “Did he say smooch?” “No,” you laughed, “His phrasing sounded a lot stuffier and careful not to create a lawsuit, but I figured that’s what he meant.” “Yeah, um, you’re okay with that?” “Absolutely. It’s a makeup dinner and we’re going to be together for another couple of months so we should play up the romance and the um, physicality and all that.” You tried to ignore the sudden warmth in your cheeks and the memory of your last dream. “Okay, good because I was specifically told about what happens when we leave the restaurant.” “Hmmm I think I remember something about that but again, stuffy non-lawsuit language. Kinda hard to follow at times.” “Basically they want us to make out while we wait for an Uber. Like, proper make out.” “Oh,” “I told them neither of us are public make out people but they’re insisting they need it. Something about it being an obvious indication of getting back together or whatever. And technically we agreed to it when we signed up for this whole thing.” “Thanks for the heads up.” “No worries. Glad I called now, wouldn’t have wanted to just spring that on you. But um, that’s it really, I’ll let you get back to your last night of peace.” “Wait,” you blurted without having anything else to say. “Yeah?” “Ummm, oh! Did you hear anything more about that movie?” “Not yet but Peter said they’re still in talks. Hopefully soon.” “What’s it about?” “It’s an actiony thriller thing. This guy, the role I auditioned for, witnesses a murder and then gets dragged into this revenge mission. I’d get to shoot some big guns and drive a cool car and y’know save the girl, all that stuff.” “Sounds fun,” “Yeah, what about you, any auditions?” “One or two but nothing’s come of them. I sent my reel in for this supernatural comedy about a coven of witches. Too soon to know anything though.” “Well I hope you get it,” “Yeah, likewise.” “Thanks.” You were forcefully reminded of your last conversation when you both lapsed into silence again, neither of you making any move to hang up. You wanted to keep talking but part of you was worried that if you used up all your conversation topics now, you’d have nothing to talk about over dinner tomorrow, and if that happened you were bound to blurt out something you shouldn’t. Instead you just savoured the sound of Ben’s breaths and the odd rustle of clothing as he shifted around. Once again he was the one to break the silence. “Well, as lovely as it has been to chat, I should go. Gotta get a good night sleep so I’m ready to woo you tomorrow.” “You’re not going to bed yet are you? It’s so early,” “I was gonna read or something for a bit actually.” “Have you finished that show we started?” “Which one?” “Any of them? “No. Figured they could wait.” “You wanna watch one now?” “What, over the phone?” “Yeah, we can try to time it so it plays at the same time.” “Uh, sure, why not,” You quickly grabbed your laptop and, after some discussion of which show you were more in the mood for, found the right episode. There was laughter on both ends of the line as you attempted to hit play at the same time, counting down from three between giggles. It took you a few tries but you eventually got them to sync up, more or less. It felt nice to hear Ben’s laughter again, his voice when he sang along with the soundtrack, his comments about the nitty gritty of the production side – odd line deliveries and angles of shots. He was easy to talk to. Though with everything that had happened, everything you knew, just the act of talking to him set off butterflies in your stomach.

It took you well over an hour to get ready for the date. You’d been told to go all out so that’s exactly what you did. With a little help from Felicity so you could get away with a calming pre dinner drink. She gave you a hand choosing an outfit – a dress, short but not too short, classy but eye catching. It had started life as a dress for a movie premiere but after a few years the top didn’t fit quite right so you’d had it altered, the skirt was taken up, cut off and attached to a new top that more suited your current style, leaving you with a slightly shorter and much more you outfit. Glass of Prosecco close to hand, Felicity worked on your hair and offered advice on your makeup. When you were finished and could reveal the full look to her, she squealed. “You’re absolutely going to get laid.” “Shut up. I look alright though? Lipstick’s not too dark?” “Honey, you look gorgeous. I swear, you’re gonna get dicked down in the bathroom of that fancy as fuck restaurant because he’s not gonna be able to keep his hands off you.” You burst out laughing, “Good to know. Not exactly the plan for the evening but at least I’m prepared now.” “What is your plan?” “I don’t really have one, which is not helping me stay calm. I guess just find out if he’s still interested in me. And then work out where we go from there. We talked last night and that was good but I just need to know if he’s, you know, still into me.” “He’s head over heels for you, that won’t have changed. The question is, do you love him?” You wanted to say no but obviously couldn’t so you settled for a soft, “I’ve have missed him.” She hummed with an annoyingly knowing look. “I should be going, the Uber’ll be here soon.” Felicity pulled you into a hug, “Knock him dead, Y/N,” and then, as an afterthought added, “don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” “You first hooked up with your girlfriend because some drunk guy told you he’d buy you both drinks if you made out. There’s nothing you wouldn’t do.” Felicity laughed, “That was just a free drink, imagine what I’d do if there was a fancy French dinner involved.”

You arrived before Ben did. A quick glance up and down the street told you he wasn’t approaching just yet, so you opened your clutch to give yourself something to think about other than the sound of snapping cameras. Phone, lipstick, tissues, compact mirror, three condoms. You laughed to yourself when you saw them and made a mental note to lie about how useful they were when you next saw Felicity. Quick footsteps caught your attention and you looked up in time to see Ben running towards you. “Sorry, I’m late,” he said between breaths, pressing a kiss to your cheek as soon as he was within reach, “My Uber got caught in traffic and I had to make a stop,” He held out a small bouquet of flowers in a variety of pinks, purples and yellows. “For me?” “No for the other girl I’m seeing, of course for you. You like them?” “They’re beautiful,” you took the bouquet and breathed in its sweet scent. “I saw it in the shop and, um yeah, I don’t know, they seemed nice, a-and I know you, um, like nice things, so,” he stopped babbling with a pained expression on his face, for once more visibly nervous than you. “It’s very sweet of you, thank you,” “I’m glad you think so because right now it feels kinda cliché and cheesy. Now you have to carry them around all night, what was I thinking? And god can I just shut up. Sorry.” You couldn’t help but laugh as he scrunched his nose up and ran his hand through his hair, unintentionally endearing, “Calm down, Ben, we’ve done this before.” “I know,” “Let’s just go inside, further away from these cameras, and have a drink, sound good? “God yes,” he nodded and let you lead him through the door up to the hostess stand, managing to pull himself together enough to give her the name of the booking. As expected, she told you to wait in the bar until a table was ready.

Ben downed his first drink in one hit. It made you wonder how hard he was finding it to be around you. Had the space helped him quiet his feeling for you? Or had it just made him want you more? Was that why he seemed so out of sorts, stumbling over his words in a way that was so unlike him. You desperately wanted to find out where he stood but it was impossible without giving yourself away. What you needed was for him to make another phone call you could overhear but the likelihood of that happening was slim. You’d just have to put it from your mind for now. “Better?” You asked Ben as he caught the barman’s attention and ordered a second drink. “Getting there,” He took the new glass and drank, just a sip this time, “You look stunning by the way. I should have said it earlier,” “Thank you, you look very handsome,” He glanced down at the suit he was wearing, “Thanks.” A somewhat awkward silence followed. “So,” you said, louder than necessary, desperate to get him talking like he normally did lest you start to freak out too, “You been here before?” “No. Never even heard of it before Mary and Peter mentioned it. You?” “Same.” You looked around the room, searching for something else to talk about, “Nice though.” “Yeah, yeah, really swanky.” “Bit different from the painting thing,” “Yeah, very. Look I need to tell you someth-” “Mr Hardy? Your table is ready,” You smiled at the hostess, as he thanked her, and followed her towards a table for two, setting your bouquet down to the side. Ben smiled at you from across the table. “You were saying?” you asked, apprehensive and curious. “Oh, um, nothing, doesn’t matter. We’ve got a date to focus on.” “Wouldn’t want all these prying eyes to miss anything,” “Exactly. Cuddle bunny,” You smiled at the nickname despite its ridiculousness and leaned forward in your seat slightly, letting your fingers gently rest against the back of his hand. If he wanted to focus on the date and putting on a good show for the public then that was something you could do, “Babe.” The flush you’d seen creep onto Ben’s face before appeared again and he reached for his glass once more. “So, how have you been?” you asked, pulling your hand back towards you. He looked at its retreat and then back at your eyes, “Good. Got to hang out with the boys a few times last week which was really good.” “Beat them at any more video games?” “They won’t let me anywhere near FIFA at the moment,” “Discrimination,” “That’s what I tried to tell them!” he laughed, seeming to relax a little more, “bunch of babies.” “What about that trip thing you were organising, have you sorted that out?” “Not entirely. It’s with my friend Joe who lives in the States. He was going to come out here but we decided it wasn’t worth it since I’ll be over there soon anyway.” “You will?” “Well both of us will be. Part of the press stuff for The Perfect Match.” “Oh, right, of course,” you giggled and tucked your hair behind your ear. “He’s looking forward to meeting you though.” “I bet he is,” you said automatically. Of course he’d be keen to meet the woman his friend was infatuated with, you would be too. Ben gave you a questioning look but you covered well enough, “I mean, he’d obviously know about us dating so I assume he’d be curious to meet your girlfriend. Especially if we’re having public spats and stuff.” “Right, yeah, definitely. What about you? What’s been happening?”

From there you fell into your usual style of conversation, both of you relaxing more as the night wore on and the bottle of wine you ordered grew emptier. The only difference from normal was the romance of it all, played up as much as possible. Brushing hands as you both reached for the salt, soft smiles and laughs. You even went so far as to twirl a strand of hair around your finger like some love struck teenybopper in a soap opera. When your food arrived you let Ben feed you a bite off his fork. You offered a taste of your meal in return and he held your wrist as he leaned in. A gesture that left you breathless, blinking at him as he slowly withdrew his hand. The wine’s fault probably. You’d polished off the bottle by the time dessert arrived, on top of the drinks you’d had before you sat down. It made you feel looser and you assumed the same of Ben, judging by how different his demeanour was to the nervous, stuttering one he’d had when he showed up. Perhaps that was why, with a spoonful of chocolate mousse halfway to his mouth and no regard for the conversation you were having, he suddenly said, “Can I ask about these last couple of weeks?” “Uh, yeah, what d’you want to know?” “Was it good? The space, did you get what you wanted from it?” You thought for a moment, putting down your own spoon, “Yes. I’m not going to lie and say it wasn’t helpful because it really was. Just, having that break from everything. I think I really needed it. But I really really missed you too.” He smiled at that, looking down at his dessert like he was trying to hide it, “I’m glad. It was hard not seeing you but yeah, helped me figure some stuff out too. Confirmed some other stuff.” “Like what? If you don’t mind me asking.” “Like…um, the thing I said on the phone about enjoying playing the boyfriend. I like having someone special to share things with,” He sighed, “But that’s…not relevant right now. Do you want to get out of here?” You were a little taken aback by the suddenness of the suggestion but agreed, reapplying your lipstick for the cameras while the waiter collected your bill.

Ben wrapped his arm around your waist once you were outside, pulling you close. With the pretext on planting a kiss on your temple he quietly asked if you were ready for the next part. “Lay it on me,” you giggled, feeling warm and light. A second later his hand was sliding down your side towards your bum which set off another wave of giggles. He kept you close as you walked down the street, oblivious to the flash of cameras. Ben kept his arm around you, using the other to open the app and order a car. You stopped when you reached a quiet bus stop, Ben letting you go to sit down, tapping the spot beside him. But his hand wasn’t gone for long, instead moving to cup your cheek as he pulled you into a kiss. “I missed doing that,” he muttered but you were more focused on making it happen again, shifting yourself closer, laying your hand against him, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt. His heart was pounding under your palm, but it matched the beat against your own chest. You’d forgotten how good he was at kissing but it came flooding back as you opened your lips for him, felt his tongue against yours. His hand was firm on your back, pulling you in but still not close enough. You whined, let him pull you onto his lap, pressed yourself against him, one hand in his hair so he wouldn’t stop kissing you. His hands were everywhere, on your arms and back and squeezing your arse, holding you in place as you arched your back slightly and kissed him harder. A car horn right beside you made you pull away, startled. “Ben?” The older man asked, looking down at their phone, “I’m here to pick you up.” “Shit,” Ben said softly, and then to the driver, “Sorry, yes, that’s us.” You let your head fall forward onto his shoulder for a second, smothering your laughter. “C’mon cuddle bunny,” he said softly, “they’ve had enough of a show.” Your legs felt unsteady as you stood and smoothed your skirt down. Ben opened the back door for you and followed you inside. “So sorry about that,” he said again to the driver. He just laughed, “It’s alright. I remember being your age and completely smitten. You’re that couple I’ve seen online, right?” “Uh, yes, that’d be us, I think” “Well if you wanna keep making out I won’t stop you. Might have to tweet about it though.” Ben laughed, “Thanks but I think we can hold off for a bit.” You looked over at Ben and had to cover your mouth to keep from laughing too loud when you saw the lipstick smudged over Ben’s face. “What is it?” Still laughing you handed ben your compact mirror and the pack of tissues from your clutch. “Christ,” he said softly, “The internet’s going to fucking love this.”

The Uber driver left you at the end of Ben’s driveway with a wink and a have fun. There were paparazzi waiting for you so you grabbed Ben’s hand and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. He led you inside, refusing to let go of your hand even while trying to dig his keys from the opposite pocket. Once you were inside, you placed your slightly bruised bouquet on the hall stand, leaned against the closed door and began taking your shoes off. Normally, after being out together and winding up at Ben’s place, you’d head straight to the bathroom to take off your makeup. He’d go and fetch two glasses of water if you’d been drinking or maybe something warm if the night was cool. You’d change into the pyjamas you kept at his place and then join him in the lounge room, sometimes tucking yourselves under the same blanket, to watch TV until you were yawning and struggling to stay awake. And then you’d wish each other good night and head to your separate rooms. But this time something felt different. You kicked your shoes to the side of the hallway and stayed against the door, watching as Ben pulled his wallet from his pocket, dropping it and his keys next to your flowers. He slowly turned towards you, taking a step closer. And you knew you should move, should dodge around him, make a joke about not needing to take off your makeup since he’d already done it for you but you found yourself stepping towards him too. There was a beat as you both realised how close you were. You heard Ben swallow, watched his eyes move to your lips unashamedly. Later, when you were lying in the dark wondering what the fuck had happened, you’d tell yourself it was the wine. A brief impairment of judgement exacerbated by months of celibacy and an easily suggestable brain. Whether you believed it was another question.

You closed the gap but he was only a second behind, hand back on your waist as his other found your jaw. You wrapped your arms around his neck, let him slowly walk you through the house towards the living room you where you’d spent so many nights joking around. He didn’t stop kissing you while you stumbled through the house, not unless he had to and even then he never went far, his breath hot against your lips. You pushed him down onto the couch and straddled his lap, continuing what had been interrupted, his hands falling back to your arse, pushing up your skirt, squeezing, as you tugged on his hair, making him groan. A single rational thought was trapped in the back of your mind, trying to breakthrough but it was hard to think when Ben was holding you like that, kissing you like that, especially after so long without being touched at all. He broke away to mouth at your throat and it was only then that you had enough time to think clearly. “Wait,” you said softly and then again more insistently. “What is it?” “What are we doing? We can’t,” “Why not?” You shook your head, and pushed yourself off of him, taking a couple of steps back, “It’s rule one Ben,” “We wouldn’t even have to break rule one though, we can just stay here on the couch. No harm in making out if we’ve already done it.” A whine caught in your throat and you took an extra half step back to keep from rushing into his arms again, more rational thoughts pushing through the broken wall and joining the first. You shouldn’t, not if there was any chance Ben still had a crush on you. It wouldn’t be fair. “I’d be good to you Y/N, you know I would,” You shook your head, “You know this isn’t real, right Ben?” “Of course I know that,” “Really? Because sometimes I think you forget I’m not actually in love with you.” What’s that supposed to mean?” You bit your lip to try and stop yourself from saying what you were about to say but it was no use, the words were already half out, “I heard you talking to Joe the night you left your keys at the bar. I know you have a crush on me.” “You heard that?” His eyes were wide, horrified. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to overhear I just needed a drink an-.” “Oh my god,” He sat up straighter and ran a hand through his hair again and you wished it was your fingers mussing it up, “Maybe you should go.” “Wait, Ben, let’s just talk about it.” “Is that why you were upset before the argument? Is that why you didn’t want to see me for the last two weeks?” “I thought some space might help you stop feeling that way.” He laughed at that, “I’m – I’ve been trying to stop feeling like this for months now, since we were filming together, but I can’t, I can’t shake you. I love you. And it won’t go away.” “You love me?” Ben nodded, looking up at you from the couch but you couldn’t meet his eye. “You don’t have to say you don’t feel the same, I know.” You didn’t know what to say, just stood there, frozen in place. “That’s what I thought,” He stood up, chewing on his lip and when he spoke he had to clear his voice to make it loud enough for you to hear, “I, um, I know I just said you should leave but you can’t go yet. There are still paparazzi out there and we’re meant to look like we’ve made up. I’m going to go to bed though and you can stay until they leave or, if you can still stand to look at me, then you’re welcome to stay the night and I’ll drop you home in the morning. I’m really sorry.” You watched him walk towards the hallway, still frozen in place.

[365days365movies]

January 21, 2021: The Wages of Fear (1953)

What exactly is a thriller, anyway?

Now, I’ve repeatedly considered having thrillers take up their own month, considering that they’re considered one of the core eleven film genres. However, they intersect so commonly with other genres, that I’ll be incorporating it into other months this year.

The definition of the thriller or suspense genre relies on surprise and intrigue. The audience is made unaware of certain information, giving a sense of mystery to the movie’s setting. The protagonist is often also unaware of these certain things, although that certainly isn’t a requirement. 

Sometimes, they’re as innocent as the audience, if not moreso, and may be getting manipulated during the course of the story. Escapes, chase sequences, clear or hidden dangers, all of these meant to build suspense and unnerve the audience. It doesn’t have the overt scares of a horror film, and its action scenes build up to a feeling of building dread. They’re adrenaline-raising, heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat films. 

We’ve already covered one of the most prominent subgenres, the spy movie. We’ll cover more during Horror October, naturally, and a couple more this month. Comedy April’s even going to have a comedy thriller or two, while Romance February will pack an erotic thriller in there. Oh, and let’s not forget Crime July and Drama December. Like I said, they’ll be all over the place. Today, though, we cover one of the seminal French action thrillers, similar to our last two entries, but MUCH older. Enter Jean-Georges Clouzot.

Clouzot is one of the old-school French directors, even though he debuted quite late as compared to most, in 1942. A French Alfred Hitchcock, Clouzot’s first solo film was The Murderer Lives at Number 21. And surprisingly, it’s known as a comedy-thriller, and made a splash in theaters when it debuted in 1943. Which is interesting, given that whole World War II kerfuffle at the time. His most famous film, however, came in 1955, and was called Les Diaboliques. And THAT’S a psychological thriller that may end up on my list for October.

But two years before that, he made an action thriller. You know where this is going at this point, so let’s get on with it! SPOILERS AHEAD for The Wages of Fear!

Recap

Before we start, a tiny disclaimer: GIFs were...impossible to find for this one. HOWEVER, I miraculously found a recolored copy that I was able to convert into GIFs. I prefer the black-and-white version, which is how I watched it, but SACRIFICES MUST BE MADE

We start in Las Piedras, a small village in a Spanish-speaking country somewhere in Central America. A group of men speaking French, English, and Spanish are relaxing on a saloon porch, trying to beat the heat. These men include Mario (Yves Montand) and Bimba (Peter van Eyck). His girlfriend (?) Linda (Véra Clouzot, the director’s wife) works as a servant in the saloon.

Eventually, the men are told to leave, with Bimba being told to go to the airport to pick up mail. Arriving on the plane - other than a man with a whole-ass GOAT, which must have made for a fun flight for EVERYBODY involved - is a rich-looking man in a white suit and a fancy fly-swatter.

Our man, who’s French, runs into Mario, who is also French. This is Jo (Charles Vanel), who, despite looking rich, is out here looking for something monetary. Mario, after being weirdly cold to Linda, leaves for his home where he lives with Luigi (Folco Lulli), who speaks Italian. A real polyglot of a movie, this one. 

Over the course of a montage of indeterminate time, we find out that there’s no work in this town for the various men, who are stuck in this town because of the desert surrounding it, expensive tickets, and no jobs or employment opportunities. We also find out that since there’s oil, there are Americans.

The Southern Oil Company, SOC, dominates the town due to nearby oil fields. They aren’t the best, though, and they tend to treat the townspeople pretty terribly. Jo inquires for a job there, to no avail, and reconvenes with Jo. After treating Linda and Luigi, to be frank, like ABSOLUTE shit, Mario...WAIT A GODDAMN SECOND

HOLY SHIT, MARIO AND LUIGI LIVE TOGETHER. REALLY?!? Holy shit.

Jo’s a dick, it turns out, which causes a rift between the two Frenchmen and the others. After literally getting the entire saloon angry with his antics, he threatens the nice Luigi with a gun, causing a tense atmosphere with everybody. After literally handing Luigi a gun to shoot him, the dejected man leaves the bar, dejected. Like I said...Jo’s an absolute DICK.

The next morning, something’s happened. The oil field has caught on fire, killing some of the residents who worked there. This causes some anti-foreigner rhetoric, which’ll probably spell trouble for our mostly foreigner cast. The foreman is Bill O’Brien (William Tubbs), who’s asked to handle the situation by his bosses. The only way to put out the fire is to generate an explosion triggered by nitroglycerin. Which seems...backwards, but I don’t know how oil works. They need to transport the nitroglycerin to the field, but the job is too dangerous for unionized workers. Therefore, the idea is formed to bring in some of the unemployed men, especially those that hang around the saloon. And, of course, that includes Mario, Jo, Bimba, and Luigi.

Speaking of Luigi, sad news. Looks like his construction job has resulted in cement powder depositing in his lungs, giving him 6 months to a year to live. Shame, he seems like a very nice guy. And so, considering that this job is dangerous, but follows a lot of money...he doesn’t have much to lose.

One of the people at the briefing immediately backs out upon learning about the job. He notes that this job infects men with fear that they can’t recover from. For that fear, the wages are $2500 per person. Only four people can do this job; two per truck, with one driver and one passenger. After some trials, Mario, Luigi, Bimba, and Smerloff, a German, are chosen. Jo isn’t good enough, much to his own dismay. However, as Bill and Jo are old friends of sorts, they make a deal; if one of the men doesn’t show up, Jo can take his place.

That night, the men (sans Jo) gather in the saloon. One young man, an Italian named Bernando who wasn’t chosen, gives Linda a note to mail to his mother. Sadly, there’s a reason for that that I won’t show here. But while they tell him that there’ll be a next time, he insists that their won’t be. I’ll let you fill in the tragic blanks.

The next morning, Smerloff doesn’t show up, having last been seen with, uh...with Jo. Wonder where Smerloff went. Well, predictably, Jo ends up replacing him. Jo and Mario go first, after winning a coin toss. They drive off hauling their truck loaded with nitroglycerin, and you can feel the fear begin to set in for Mario. As they drive through town, Linda tries to say goodbye, only for Mario to literally push her off the truck, MAN, I don’t like this guy.

As the truck drives, they encounter their first obstacle: Jo. As he’s driving, fear would appear to set in for him as well. He overcomes a couple of large puddles, but begins to shiver and sweat, saying that he’s sick. But no, he’s definitely just nervous, and they stop the truck in a forest of sugarcane so that Jo can take a break. However, they have to get going quickly, as the second truck is close behind them.

In the second truck, Bimba and Luigi talk a bit, with the affable Luigi doing most of that talking. But when Jo and Mario stop for a second time, they tell the pair off and drive past. Because of this, they hit the first real obstacle: a stretch of rough and bumpy road called the washboard. To get over it, one has to go 40 mph to get over the bumps. If not, then the truck will feel the bumps, and the nitroglycerine will explode.  Luigi and Bimba get over with some difficulty, finding out that the gas in their truck contains water, and needs to be changed.

As for Jo and Mario, Jo’s nervousness costs them time and energy, as he refuses to speed up to the proper speed before getting on the washboard. They have to back up (inside their own tire tracks), and Mario officially takes over the wheel. And he starts going fast...too fast.

They almost collide with the other truck, but Luigi and Bimba speed up in time. Next obstacle: a road under construction. A K-turn is needed, and that turn requires a flimsy wooden construction to be driven on. It isn’t easy, the very competent Luigi and Bimba manage it all right. Jo and Mario get there, and Jo, predictably, FREAKS OUT. 

Mario, on the other hand, is overly reckless. In order to get over the rotted out road, Mario has to drive to the very edge of the construction. Jo, who was guiding him from the back of the truck, ends up tumbling over the side. While Mario thinks he’s dead, Jo instead takes the opportunity to straight-up run away, although Mario does see him. This is a problem, as the truck begins to slide on the wood without Jo’s help. But Mario, ever-resourceful, figures it out. But...

OH SHIT! Mario gets off the construction just as it’s starting to collapse. He makes it forward, and passes the cowardly Jo, who tries to get back onto the truck.Mario, UNDERSTANDABLY PISSED, almost leaves him behind, but finally stops so that he can get rejoin. The two get into an argument, where Mario calls Jo out for once being brave, but now being a coward. Jo tells Mario that he has no imagination, and that Jo’s “died fifty times since last night.” I love that line, honestly.

Back to Luigi and Bimba. They talk about life after the money, even though we’re aware that Luigi doesn’t have much of that left. It’s then that the next obstacle appears: a talus slope, from which a giant rock has fallen, and blocks the road. Bimba has the...bright idea (?) of using the nitroglycerin to blow up the stone. Which I feel like is an...idea.

They make a hole in the rock, then siphon some nitro out of a container. The others catch up, and back the trucks away, leaving Bimba by himself to do the deed. And it is...ABSOLUTELY NERVE-WRACKING HOLY SHIT. After setting up a Rube-Goldberg device and pouring the nitroglycerin into a hole in the rock, Bimba lights a fuse and sets it to blow. 

But because they fear they;ve parked too close, Luigi runs back to put out the fuse! Too late, though, as the nitro blows, and rocks fly, almost falling on the trucks in the process. As for Luigi...he survives! Knocked out by the shock from the explosion, but not injured. In the process, the rock is finally destroyed, and Mario and Luigi finally reconcile as friends.

Back on the drive with Luigi and Bimba! We find out that Bimba’s a German, whose parents died at the hands of the Nazis. He himself was in a work camp for 3 years, which is why he is as brave as he is. Behind them, Jo and Mario talk of France, and Jo rolls a cigarette.

...FUCK. 

Luigi and Bimba are gone. Like that. This, of course, freaks out Jo, who runs away from the truck. Mario catches up, and beats Jo for his cowardice. They return to the truck, albeit very reluctantly on Jo’s part. They make it to the site of the explosion, where there’s...no sign. No sign of the truck, of the guys, nothing. Just a busted pipe spitting up oil, creating a massive puddle.

Jo goes into the shallow pool to guide Mario through it, but gets stuck in the pool in the process. Mario runs over his leg, and the truck itself gets stuck in the oil. Mario gets out of the truck and helps Jo, whose leg is FUUUUUUUUUCKED up. I mean it, it’s like a busted sausage link, like a sock made of MEAT. It’s not OK, is what I’m saying.

Mario, using a cable, an iron rod, and his wits, manages to pull the truck out of the oil pool. He gets Jo, and the drive continues. Jo, in pain and possibly bleeding out, is close to falling asleep. To keep him awake, the two talk about Paris. Day turns to night, and Mario continues to drive. They finally make it to the burning oil field...but too late for Jo.

Mario’s finally able to get out of the truck, and stumbles towards the fire and collapses. Not dead, just exhausted. He gets all of the money promised to the four, and leaves in the now empty truck to go back to Las Piedras. Free of nitroglycerine and free of fear, he gleefully drives back. In the saloon, the patrons celebrate Mario’s survival while listening to Blue Danube, and so does Mario! And Mario is driving...carefree. And recklessly.

...That’s The Wages of Fear. See you in the Epilogue.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

May 21, 2021

Heather Cox Richardson

Tonight, in Fulton County, Georgia, a judge allowed 9 Georgia voters and their experts to inspect copies of the 147,000 mail-in ballots cast in that county to make sure that officials did not accept counterfeit ballots. Georgia officials have already done three separate audits of the ballots from the 2020 vote, including a hand recount, and found no widespread fraud. But supporters of former president Trump insist that he actually won the 2020 election and that it was stolen from him by fraud.

It is this same belief that led to the private “audit” of ballots in Maricopa County, Arizona, where Republican state senators made election officials give both ballots and election equipment to a private company, Cyber Ninjas, to recount and examine. The Cyber Ninjas had no experience doing such an audit and the process has been widely discredited, but they accused election officials of deleting databases, accusations picked up by Trump loyalists like Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and Paul Gosar (R-AZ).

Today, attorneys for Maricopa County and those election officials warned the Republican Arizona Senators to preserve all evidence surrounding this “audit” for future lawsuits.  

Despite the Arizona debacle, Trump supporters all over the country are demanding recounts like the one in Maricopa County. They say their only goal is to make sure that machines are accurate and the count is fair, but they are echoing Trump, who continues to insist he won the 2020 election.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they found thousands and thousands and thousands of votes,” he said recently at Mar-a-Lago. “So we’re going to watch that very closely. And after that, you’ll watch Pennsylvania and you’ll watch Georgia and you’re going to watch Michigan and Wisconsin. You’re watching New Hampshire. Because this was a rigged election. Everybody knows it.”

It was not a rigged election. Democrats Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won by more than 7 million votes with more than 51% of the popular vote to Trump and Mike Pence’s 46.8%. The Democrats won in the Electoral College by a vote of 306 to 232. Trump lost more than 60 lawsuits over the election, and recounts turned up no evidence of widespread fraud.

Observers call Trump’s insistence that he won the 2020 election the Big Lie.

It was this lie that led to the January 6 insurrection, when rioters stormed the Capitol to stop the counting of the electoral votes that would make Biden president. In case after case, the insurrectionists’ lawyers have claimed their clients believed that Trump won and the election was stolen from him. The lawyers have blamed the “propaganda” coming from the Fox News Channel and the former president for their clients’ actions.

According to “QAnon Shaman” Jacob Chansley, his lawyer wrote, if not “for the actions and the words of the President, he would not have appeared in Washington, DC to support the President and, but for the specific words of the then-President during his January 6, 2021 speech, the Defendant would not have walked down Pennsylvania Avenue and would not have gone into the U.S. Capitol Building.”

In an interview with Matt Shuham of Talking Points Memo, the lawyer added: “These aren’t bad people; they don’t have a prior criminal history. F**k, they were subjected to four-plus years of goddamn propaganda the likes of which the world has not seen since f**king Hitler.”

But here’s the rub: Last week, when they removed Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) from party leadership, Republicans indicated they have now tied themselves to Trump, along with his eagerness to overturn elections unless he gets his way.

We are on a very dangerous path.

Republican lawmakers are downplaying the January 6 insurrection, rewriting our history to suggest that the assault on the heart of our democratic process was no big deal. Last week, Representative Andrew S. Clyde (R-GA) said the event was like a “normal tourist visit”—photos show him that day screaming and frantically barricading the doors to the House gallery—and Representative Ralph Norman (R-SC) questioned whether the rioters were Trump supporters, despite their Trump flags and MAGA hats, and the fact the former president told them he loved them. On the Fox News Channel this week, Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) claimed the insurrection was largely a “peaceful protest.”

On Wednesday, the House passed a bill to set up a bipartisan independent commission to investigate the events of January 6. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) had set out conditions for the commission, apparently with the idea that Democrats would reject them, but in fact the Democrats agreed to his demands, leaving McCarthy scrambling to find a reason to oppose the commission. For oppose it he does, along with all but 35 Republicans (whom Trump promptly called “ineffective and weak”). Four fifths of the Republicans in the House oppose creating a bipartisan independent commission to figure out what happened on that hideous day.

They are opposed in part because they do not want voters to be reminded of their leader’s complicity in the event, driven as it was by the Big Lie, and also because a number of them would be witnesses, called to testify under oath. Cheney has repeatedly suggested that McCarthy himself, who had a heated telephone conversation with the former president during the riot, should testify voluntarily or, if necessary, under subpoena.

Yesterday, McCarthy pointedly refused to answer whether he was sure no members of his caucus had spoken with any of the rioters, bringing to mind the January 13 letter from 34 members of the House, including those with military training and former CIA agent Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), to request an immediate investigation into tours of the Capitol given on January 5. The letter reported that the number and nature of the tours were so concerning that members reported them to the Sergeant at Arms that day.

The bill now goes to the Senate, where Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has vowed to oppose it, calling it “slanted and unbalanced” in what seems to be a shout out to Fox News Channel viewers by playing on “fair and balanced.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will bring the bill to the floor, where Republicans are expected to filibuster it, meaning it will take 60 votes, rather than a simple majority of 51, to pass it. They are likely to block even a debate on it.

Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), who has maintained he can work with the Republicans, commented: “So disheartening. It makes you really concerned about our country…. I’m still praying we’ve still got 10 good solid patriots within that conference.”

It seems to me that ship has sailed. Six months after the 2020 election, supporters of the former president are challenging vote counts all over the country as he continues to insist he won. His supporters stormed the Capitol to overturn our electoral process. And now our Republican lawmakers, who have taken an oath to defend the Constitution, are trying to protect their leader from accountability for inciting that insurrection.

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LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON